Polar Opposites
by YoungAndRestless
Summary: The Teen Titans are growing into adulthood, and they find it more complex than originally anticipated. As Beast Boy tries to win Raven's favor, she continues to avoid him. On polar opposites of the personality spectrum, Raven feels a growing impatience with his attempts to woo her. Focusing on the Titan's relationships. RavenxBeastBoy. Lemons in marked chapters.
1. Same Old, Same Old

` **Several years after the last episode aired on television, we find the Teen Titans starting to finally grow up. While still fighting crime and keeping Jump City safe, they realize that part of growing up and becoming an adult is knowing that, sometimes, it isn't super villains that are causing you the most pain, but your teammates.**

"Titans, go!" Robin commanded, throwing his hand forward.

"Hive Five, look alive!" Gizmo cackled, his fingers flying across his keyboard. See-More, Mammoth, Billy Numerous, and Kyd Wykkyd shot forward, malicious grins splayed across their faces. Beast Boy warped, and in elephant form, charged Mammoth. As their collision sent a cloud of dust into the air, the battle began. I floated through the smog, searching for a target. A loud trumpeting caught my attention, and I glanced over just in time to see Mammoth hurl the green elephant towards me. Beast Boy's beady, animal eyes widened, and in mid air, he warped back to his humanoid form.

"Raven, look out!" He slammed into me, and we flew back several feet before collapsing onto the cracked pavement. I gasped for breath as I climbed to my feet, my hands pushing on my knees for support. "Raven, I'm sorry," he sputtered beneath me. With a frustrated growl, I briefly turned my gaze onto him.

"Stay out of my way," I growled, before replacing my raven beak hood and levitating into the air. Mammoth eyed me high above, and his hungry mouth warped into a toothy grin. Jumping high in the air, he slammed his fists down on the pavement, and like a rock dropped in water causes a ripple, his impact forced the blacktop to rise to me, a wave of solid rock. I held my splayed hands in front of me, my violet eyes narrowing in the shadow of my cowl.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The street halted, outlined by my powers of darkness. Twisting my hands and commanding the pavement, it whipped back on its prior master and wrapped around Mammoth several times, encircling him in a black ball of rock. As he began pounding on the inside, trying to break free, I brought my hands closer together slowly, and breathed deeply, focusing my power on his dark prison. Following the command of my hands, the pavement began to shrink around him, the heat and pressure of my ultimatum solidifying his prison to even thicker walls. Slowly, as the orb condensed further, Mammoth's pounding from inside grew duller.

Finally satisfied that he wouldn't be getting out until the police came, I turned my attention to the rest of the battle, searching for where my aid was most dire. Cyborg was mowing down several of Billy's copies, Gizmo's mechanical, spider-like legs were exchanging blows with Robin's staff, and Beast Boy was in the form of a hummingbird, dodging several of See-More's ocular projectiles.

A cry from behind me caused my head to whip around. Starfire was shooting starbolts randomly in panic, but she wasn't as fast as she needed to be; Kyd Wykkyd blinked in and out of existence around her, seemingly being in several places at once. As Starfire turned to light him up with her celestial orbs, he teleported behind her, and with a swiped of his knife-like cape edge, cut her across the back. Starfire screamed again, whirled to punch him, only to see the space behind her was once again empty.

I looked around frantically, and saw not far off a public bus. I zoomed to it, held out my hands, and soon it was willingly following me through the air. "Star, move!" I shouted before hurling the several ton piece of machinery at the battling duo. With a sweet gasp, she flew out of the way, and the bus slammed home into our adversary, burying him beneath it. Starfire flew to my side, a gracious and bubbly thank you spilling from her lips, when a section of the bus began to glow darkly. Kyd Wykkyd seamlessly melted through the crushed metal, and glared up at us silently, looking barely worse for wear.

"I find this villain most frustrating," Starfire sighed glancing over at me. I nodded silently, and the pair of us dove to attack. Her eyes glowed green, and from them a twin laser shot forth. Kyd Wykkyd blinked out of the way and several feet to the right. Starfire landed before him, and as their melee continued, I snuck behind him, a stop sign post held high above my head. Just as he was about of pull his cape over his head and teleport behind my teammate, I slammed the metal prod through the fabric, pinning it to the ground. He yanked on it in surprise, his red eyes wide in disbelief. Starfire giggled with delight before soaring high above us.

"How does one plan to fight if one cannot sneak behind us with his cape?" she taunted from above, her fists glowing green. As she released her volley of fury on him, I glided to the side, letting her take her vengeance on him. After her attack had subsided, and the smoke clearly, we saw our opponent laying on the ground, groaning in pain. I walked up to him slowly, and looked down on him from above.

"Sorry, Kyd, there can only be one real master of darkness, and that's me," my dry voice said as he passed out. Feeling rather proud of myself, I closed my eyes, hoping to get the chance to revel in my victory, when I was suddenly ambushed with affection.

"Oh, thank you thank you, dear Raven! You were most helpful in defeating him!"Starfire cheered, her alien strength making her innocent hug a vice grip of death.

"No problem, Starfire," I said, painfully extracting myself from her embrace. We looked about, and saw that the other part of our team had succeeded in beating the Hive Five. In the distance, sirens wailed. After the culprits were loaded into the police wagon, the five of us began heading to the T-car.

"Great job, team," Robin praised, a large, proud smile on his masked face. "They didn't stand a chance."

"When will they learn to give up? We're UNSTOPPABLE!" Beast Boy cheered, pumping his fists into the air. I gritted my teeth and floated along quietly, trying to drone out his jarring voice. As we piled into the car, I purposely chose to sit beside the car door and Starfire, as far from the transfigurist as possible.

"Next stop: the T Tower, for some well earned victory hot dogs!" Cyborg whooped as he revved the engine. As we tore off down the street towards home, and the others began to chatter lively about the victory, I closed y eyes and tried to find some peace in the crowded vehicle.

When we got home, I was the first out of the car, the first in the door, and the first in the living room. As the other fell in behind me, laughing loudly and acting out the highlights of the evening's battle, I walked over to the coffee table and grabbed my book. I enjoyed hanging out with my teammates, I really did, but I didn't enjoy taking part in their shenanigans. Simply being near them, and watching from afar and chuckling silently as Beast Boy does another foolish activity, was enough for me to feel content. As they all crowded the kitchen, each preparing their own feast for the team, I smiled ever so slightly, careful to hide it from the others. After watching the chaos for some time, I began reading my book as I floated in the far corner of the room, loosing myself in its pages.

After some time, I was brought out of my reverie by a rather putrid smell that assaulted me. As I blinked and looked up before me, I saw Beast Boy dangling a pale log of meat in front of me. "Want a tofu dog?" he said, giving it a small wiggle. I glared at him, closed my book, and let my feet down to the ground below me.

"Not with your infested fingers touching it," I said dryly. His long ears fell a little at my insult. "I think I will just have a bowl of soup," I continued, walking by him briskly. Some moments later, time found me sitting on the counter, my finger making small circles above the pot, and the wooden spoon, highlighted black, inside of it, following my nail. I hummed tunelessly as I watched Starfire's animated retelling of our duo encounter with Kyd Wykkyd, and smiled at the way she praised my battle skills.

"Raven was amazing! There was nothing that I could do that would rival her speed or cunning!" She glowed, smiling over at me from her seat on the couch.

"Thank you, Starfire," I said, nodding my head slightly.

"Yeah, she was pretty cool, but was she sonic-plasma-cannon-right-into-Billy-Numerous'-face cool?" Cyborg boomed, his cannon slid out of his arm as he struck rather masculine and heroic poses on top of the dinner table. I rolled my eyes and began eating my soup quietly, savoring it's thick, heady taste. After some time, Robin looked over at me, and offered for me to join the other's in a bout of card games, but I shake my head.

"I'm tired, I think I'll retire for the evening." I turned on my heel and walked away, and as the door slid open at my approach, a chorus of farewells followed me. After a few moments of only the sound of my footsteps on the carpet, I heard the door slid open again, and the quick tapping of someone jogging to catch up to me.

"Wow, from the way Starfire was talking about you, you must've been great out there today," Beast Boy chuckled, showing a toothy grin.

"She was exaggerating. I did no better than usual," I said plainly, my honest personality ignoring any social requirements of expansion on the statement. Beast Boy cleared his throat, and glanced over at me again.

"Well, then you were better than the rest of us," he said. Ignoring the compliment, I walked into my dark room without glancing at him. "Mind if I come in?" he called after me.

"Yes." I responded coldly, turning around and staring at him blankly from under my hood.

"Why?" he sighed, his ears lowering again in disappointment.

"Because, I didn't sign up for babysitting." With that, the door slid closed on him, and after a few moments, I heard him return to the living room. I began stripping off my cape, belt, and leather leotard, and slipped into my ankle length, midnight satin night gown. As the soft fabric caressed my skin, I crawled into bed and beneath my thick covers. I closed my eyes slowly, and after what felt like only a few seconds, I fell asleep.


	2. Training

I awoke the following morning from her slumber slowly. I rolled over and glanced at the red numbers of the alarm clock that rested on her black end table; it read 8:56. I rose, turned off the alarm set for nine, and quickly set about getting ready for the day. Finally, as I pulled my hood up and over my indigo hair, Istepped out of her dark lair, the door sliding quietly behind me. I glided out of the Titan's tower, to the training yard, where the others were waiting impatiently. Robin nodded tersely to me, and resumed his pacing. Cyborg was stretching his mechanical muscles while Starfire was admiring the vibrant blue sky; Beast Boy was nowhere to be found. Just as Robin opened his mouth to say something, the small green shape shifter came tumbling out the door and into view.

"Sorry man, long night," he muttered, yawning widely and scratching his messy hair.

"Go to sleep sooner then, Beast Boy, I need you sharp and lively every day." With that Robin turned, and addressed the group in whole. "Today, we will all be sparing. Starfire and Beast Boy will be fighting, and Raven and Cyborg as well." Cyborg smiled at me, and I offered the barest of grins. "I will be fighting whoever wins the simulation of the two winners."

"You're going down, girl!" Cyborg smirked confidently, his plasma cannon gearing out of his hand.

"I doubt it," I droned unexcitedly, peering at him from beneath the edge of my hood. Starfire and Beast Boy dueled first, swirling around each other high in the sky, colliding viciously as I watched from below silently. Eventually, Starfire was able to get a lucky starbolt in, and Beast Boy plummeted onto the ground beside us. Robin glanced at him.

"All four limbs are down, Starfire wins," he announced. Starfire bounced about with joy, cheering herself on.

"Dude, I totally let you win," Beast Boy grumbled, massaging his back end. Over the past few years, he had grown significantly taller; as a matter of fact, all of the Titans had changed. Robin's legs were thicker, Cyborg's chest was wider. Beast Boy was now taller than both us girls, and didn't let us ever forget it. Starfire's breasts were larger, her legs longer. And I…well, I don't feel like I have changed much. I was just as dark, just as drab, just as uninterested as ever.

"Raven, Cyborg, you're up," Robin commanded, gesturing to the arena in front of us. I walked over quietly, and took my position on one end. Cyborg strutted to his corner, stretching his muscles and cracking his neck, a cocky smirk on his dark lips as he eyed me.

"Ready for the ultimate smack down?" he called to me.

"Yeah, I am. Hopefully you won't be to hurt by the end," I shouted back. As he smiled in approval, Robin raised his hand.

"Begin!"

"BOOYAH!" Cybrog's arm shifted into his sonic canon, and from its mouth, a blue beam of light shot forth. I glided effortlessly to the side, my blue cape engulfing me in its folds. I flew high, and came down in a volley of vicious kicks, trying to find purchase in his defenses. His massive metal hands clamped around my ankle, and he threw me roughly into the pavement. With a cry of pain I landed on my back, then quickly pushed myself off of the ground and into the air above.

"Azarath Mentrion Zinthos!" My eyes glowed with dark energy, and the section of earth beneath my teammates feet began to rumble as it was enveloped with my power. I threw him into the air along with the earth, and he screamed in panic as he began to fall back down.

An echoing boom filled all of our ears as his heavy body collided with solid ground. After a quick groan, he rose to his feet shakily, trying to get off of his back before Robin announced his failure. With a growl of frustration, his metallic shoulder pads rose, and several small, dart like items rose from inside him.

"Looks like I gotta turn up the heat," he smirked. At that, the rockets launched forwards, and as I zipped out of the way, they curved and followed me. I fly around rapidly, desperately, as the heat seeking missiles followed easily. As my eyes widened , I could feel my emotions, which I always keep mild and controlled, begin to win over. My Timid self began to whimper and cry, using her grey cloak to hide her face. As my emotions grew more and more in control, I noticed things around me grow unstable as my dark energy began to find free reign from my usual iron grip. Rocks were flying around randomly, the tower's lights were flickering on behind the others, and Starfire's hair was beginning to stand on end.

"Control it, control it," I whispered to myself, watching as the rockets grew closer and my powers wreaked more havoc about me. I needed something to save me, something to direct the rockets away. My eyes searched the area quickly, and locked onto Cyborg, who was watching my little aerial dance with a confident smile now. My Intellectual self pointed its yellow cloaked arm at him assuredly in my mind. Surrounding myself in dark energy, I took on my shadow bird form, and flew straight into the ground. Cyborg's face twisted in confusion, and as he looked about for me, I rose from the ground directly behind him, my shadow raven melting away. I grabbed his arms roughly, making him shout in surprise, and held him steady.

"Hey! What are you…" Cyborg's sentence trailed off as he saw the heat seeking rockets approach him. "Oh no." As the explosion occurred, I once again donned my shadow raven and warped through the ground and across the battlefield, and watched as Cyborg fell to the ground. As the dust cleared, I saw him try to rise again, and I called a large shadowy claw to grow from the ground and pin him down. Too exhausted to try and fight off my spell, he sighed, and pounded his forehead onto the ground.

"Raven's won," Robin announced, nodding his head in approval. While Starfire began to cheer from the sideline, I glided over to my mechanical friend, and released him from my dark clutches. I held out my hands gingerly, and a bright, blue light grew from them. After a few moments of my magical healing, Cyborg opened his eyes and smiled sheepishly at me, rubbing his head with his hand.

"Thanks for the patch up job," he said, rising to his feet.

"No problem," I droned, turning and walking away.

"Alright, now it's Starfire against Raven," Robin announced once Cyborg managed to hobble out of the arena. As the Tamaranean took her place opposite me, I sighed in resignation, preparing myself for another fight.

I sat on the corner of the sofa, staring at the screen blankly, delicately taking a single piece of popcorn, on kernel at a time, while Beast Boy and Cyborg stuffed their gobs mindlessly, eyes wide with fear. Starfire squeaked at the slightest hint of horror, and hid the bottom half of her face with Robin's cloak in terror. As the alien finally ripped the head off of the last survivor in _Mutant Creatures 5_ , the screams of my teammates about me filled my ears. As the credits rolled to some dreary, spooky music, the others burst into conversation, spewing about the movies virtues.

I rose to leave, and Starfire looked up at me. "Raven, was the movie not marvelous?" she grinned, her green eyes shining.

"It was great," I responded, curt as usual.

"Where are you going?" Robin asked, turning around on the couch.

"To bed, I'm tired," I responded. Starfire had quickly defeated me when we had spared with her eye's starbeams, and I hadn't had a chance to meditate and heal since. As I walked out of the living room, I heard the familiar and irritating sound of following footsteps.

"Wow, you really kicked Cyborg's butt today," Beast Boy chuckled, his long legs easily matching my stride.

"He was over confident, and easy to confuse," I said plainly. We walked beside one another in silence before he tried to strike up another conversation.

"What did you think of the movie?" he asked, glancing over at me.

"Predictable and cliché, just like every other movie you pick," my monotone voice muttered. Inside my head, I saw Happy bounce up and down in excitement as our conversation continued, and I growled in disgust.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," he grumbled, clearly put out.

"No you're right. It was much worse." As I turned into my room, I heard him call goodnight to me. I walked in, and let the door close behind me without response. Beast Boy stood there wordlessly, staring hard at the gray door in silence. Finally, with an animalistic growl, he turned on his heel, and stalked into his room.

Clamoring over the mountains of dirty green socks and pizza boxes, he jumped and threw himself onto the top bunk of his bed, a huge sigh of frustration coming from his mouth. After a moment, he rolled over and stared at the dark ceiling, his hands behind his head. Why was everything he did never good enough for her? For years, since they had since met, he had been trying to catch her attention, but she was as unresponsive as a rock. There had been a few times where he had seen a possible future with her… when they had first met, and she had giggled lightly at one of his lame jokes… when he and Cyborg had accidently entered a portal into her mind and they had confessed their enjoyment of the other's company… when he had saved her from Adonis… or the unexpected hug she had given him after the battle with Malchior. But every time he thought he saw something, a possible way into her heart, she would be just as cold and untouchable as ever. He didn't know why, but her emotions were just so…nonexistent. He wondered if she ever felt anything at all.

 **Hey viewers! So I am simultaneously working on this story, and another Teen Titans fanfic at the same time, so please, patience! I've got several stories to juggle here. If you guys want to see what kind of havoc Raven's powers can cause when she lets her emotions grow too strong, look at the episode Switched, number seven.**


	3. A Demon's Child

When I awoke the following morning and went into the spacious living room, the other Titans were already busy with their day. Robin was blasting some rap music, whose bass was so loud it drowned out the words. Beast Boy and Cyborg were racing in a videogame on the large screen, and Starfire was cheering the both of them on, changing whoever she was rooting for as the underdog changed. I hooked a right and headed for the kitchen. To my despair, at the sound of me grabbing a mug from the cabinet, Beast Boy took notice of me. A toothy grin spread across his face, and he paused the game that he and Cyborg were playing.  
"Yo!" Cyborg shouted in protest.

"Let Star play, she's always wanted too," the green man said, placing the controller in the alien's lap quickly before jumping over the back of the sofa. He jogged to the fridge, and pulled out a plate as I poured a cup of steaming herbal tea. "Hey Raven," he started, his rogue, pointy tooth sticking in between his lips. "I made you some breakfast, thought you'd be hungry." I glided by him without glancing at him, the Book of Azar under my arm.

"No thanks," I said simply, gliding over to the huge windows that gave us the perfect view of Jump City. I crossed my legs and levitated in the air, opened the book to the last page I had read, and sipped carefully from my hot mug. My eyes read the words, my ears heard the loud music and Starfire's many questions, my tongue curled around the earthy flavor, and my nose…was filled with the putrid scent of falsified eggs.

My glare left the book and landed on the plate being held persistently in front of me. "Come on," Beast Boy drawled, smiling in a charming manner. "You know you want to try em!"

"No, I don't, now go away." I returned my gaze to the ancient pages below me, and felt the ceramic edge of the plate poke my cheek as Beast Boy shoved the plate closer.

"Come on Raven, I got up early and everything," he whined, refusing to take no for an answer.

"Beast Boy, go, and get that plate of fake food away from me," I droned, my irritation building quickly, but trying to maintain control.

"Or what?" Beast Boy sighed, shoving the plate back at me causing me to drop my book. My eyes turned black and my Soul-Self filled the plate's contents; half a second later, the tofu eggs exploded loudly onto Beast Boy's face, covering him completely. In the background, I heard Cyborg's boisterous laugh as my feet touched the ground and I retrieved the Book of Azar from the ground. I finally stood in time, and saw a yellow yolk slide down his green face, which was now warped with rage.

"What is your problem?" he shouted, throwing the plate behind him blindly. It shattered at Robin's feet, and he turned with a shout. " Why are you so hateful and infuriating?"

"You bothered me," I growled, tucking the book back under my arm. "I was reading in solitude and wanted to be left alone."

"I spent the whole morning making you something solid to eat, and you didn't even look at it!" He shouted back, gesturing in frustration at his filthy clothes. Behind him, the room was frozen; our other three teammates were watching.

"I told you I didn't want any," I hissed, my fists clenched as my violet eyes narrowed. "You continued to push me, _and_ the plate, in my face. What did you think was going to happen?"

"Oh I don't know," he shouted. "A "thank you, BB," would've been nice! But no, you're just so self absorbed and cold that you can't even muster that!"

"What do you want from me?" I spat, my monotone voice slowly rising to a yell. "I said I didn't want them, and you wouldn't listen. Maybe you should have listened the first three times I told you." I could feel his anger rising in him as my empathy abilities kicked in, and I could feel my own Rage, in her red cloak and with her four, demonic eyes, beginning to grow inside of me.

"So it's my fault that I got up early, made you breakfast, waited for you to wake up, and when I offered it to you, it's my fault you blew them up in your face?"

"Yes," I said simply before brushing him to the side and heading for the door, tired of the argument and planning on going to my room. "I didn't ask for any of it," I called over my shoulder heatedly, "and I told you to leave me alone." In my periphery, I saw him swell, and in my chest, I could feel his anger tumble out of control.

"You crazy, evil witch! Why is it so hard for you to show some positive emotion? Are you so dumb you don't know how, or are you so bitter and hateful you choose not too?" Robin walked up to him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder, trying to hush him, but he shook him off angrily and stalked after me, not letting me end the argument. "Every time I have ever been nice to you, you're rude and condescending, and you've never been nice to me. Are you even capable of being happy?" His words cut through me like daggers, and I could feel my rage welling inside of me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and tried to block out his venom.

"I'm sorry I'm not as high strung and as emotional as you," I said sarcastically, almost through the living room door. "If you don't like it, don't bother me." I heard him growl in anger, and as the door slid open, permitting me to enter the hallway, his final remark rang through the room.

"Go to hell!" I heard Cyborg choke, and Starfire gasp beside him.

"Beast Boy!" Robin growled viciously, about to reprimand him.

That did it. My Anger gained control over my usual calm self, and my violet eyes disappeared as the four glowing red ones of my father's replaced them. From beneath my cloak, my dark, writhing, demonic tentacles creeped out as I turned to face him. I felt Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg freeze beneath the threat of my demonic half, and as I edged closer to the shape shifter, I saw his eyes, which were filled with hate, suddenly warble as they began to widen with fear. I stopped directly in front of him, and stared at him with my crimson gaze, before smiling a fanged smile that my father's genes had forced upon me.

"I've been there, thanks," I hissed, my voice deeper as my evil heritage struggled to gain complete control. The lights in the room flickered and went out, and the early morning sun's bright rays dimmed as my powers filled the room, sending it into a deep dusk. Starfire whimpered as she clung to Cyborg's arm, and I could hear Robin trying to caution me, but my focus was entirely on the morpher in front of me. After letting him squirm under my unspoken threat for a moment, I warped through the floor, and into my room.

As the lights gradually brightened and the sun began to fill the room again, everyone stayed rooted to their spots, frozen with terror. After a few minutes, a pair of birds flew by the large windows, singing a cheery tune, and the four remaining Titans sighed with relief as they returned mentally to the world of the living. Beast Boy shook himself, and he could feel the burning in his back. Sheepishly, he turned around, and found the other's spiteful glares leveled at him.

"That was not cool, BB" Cyborg said, crossing his massive metallic arms.

"Yes, that was most cruel to do to Raven." Starfire said, her hands on her hips. Beast Boy felt his embarrassment begin to set in, and sputtered for a defense.

"Me?" he stuttered, "What do you mean me! She's the one who went all crazy and anti-poultry on me."

"You pushed her," Robin said, his mask in slits with anger as he strode up to the youngest Titan.

"You drove her over her limit."

"She's the one who can't show any affection or appreciation or friendship, I jus-"

"You know why she can't show too much emotion!" Robin shouted, drowning out Beast Boy's weak protest. "You know what her paternity is! Trigon's demonic presence is always inside her, and she permits herself to feel too much, to lose control for even a moment, she could destroy the planet. You know that's why she's so stoic, she can't afford to feel as much as the rest of us!"  
"It is true," Starfire huffed, equally angry. "If she were to allow herself to be as us, then our home would surely not be standing anymore," she said, thinking back to the time her friend and her had swapped bodies; Starfire's powerful emotions had laid waste to the city in Raven's body, melting lightposts and tossing cars about. Above the others, the alien girl knew just how vital it was for Raven's unemotional demeanor to be maintained.

"You remember when we went to Nevermore, Beast Boy," Cyborg growled, closing his eyes and shaking his head in disappointment. "You know she feels, she just can't show it, or allow the emotions to get too strong, or they take control." Cyborg thought about how Dr. Light had pushed her too far, had taunted her too much, and how only after she, Beast Boy, and himself had worked together inside her mind, had she been able to fully gain control of her Rage again.

"Apologize to her," Robin commanded, the leader's voice filled with distaste. "You've made a colossal mistake, and thrown the balance of this team out of harmony. Fix it," and with that, the three Titans left the room refusing to look at him. "Call us when things have been sorted," Robin called back as the door shut behind them. Beast Boy stood there, frozen to the spot, and heard the T-Car peeled out of the garage and skim across the waters, heading for the city.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" I floated in the center of my dark room, my eyes squeezed shut, my legs folded. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Within, I was battling my Emotions, trying to regain control, trying to find my calm mask once again.

The moment I had entered my room, my Rage had subsided; my tentacles retracted into my body, my four red eyes blinked into two purple ones, and the power I had felt when confronting Beast Boy had left, leaving me feeling cold, and alone, and weak. I began meditating, trying to find peace.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Inside of me, several Emotions were demanding control. Brave commanded me to go out that door and demand that little green turd apologize. Timid wanted me to hole up in my room for a few days, mortified of the judgmental looks I was prone to get. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" But stronger than the others was Sadness. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" She wailed and sobbed with despair, holding herself, trying to calm down. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" How could he say such things to me? I just wasn't hungry. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"Timid mumbled that she knew that Beast Boy had never liked me, and Sadness began to cry harder. My brow creased, my control was wavering. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" He knew my past, he knew what I had been through. He knew why I couldn't be like him, like the others. I was different. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Azarath Met…"

Sadness finally took control, and I fell from the air and landed on the floor roughly. I curled up and cried, giving in to my despair. Around me, things turned to mayhem; books flew across the room, the covers on my bed were shredded, the windows, which had the curtains drawn over them, flew open. Didn't he know that I knew I was terrible? Didn't he know how much I wanted to be normal? I would love to laugh and jump and sing and enjoy existence, but I can't! I'm broken! I'm the daughter of a demonic overlord and I never chose this life! I never chose to have to keep everything bottled up and hidden, or to have to hide what I really felt. I wanted to be like everyone else, but fate wasn't kind and I was born evil, and I was trying my best to be good, but that meant controlling all my feelings and not destroying the world and giving into my father's dark whispers and didn't he know that I loved all of them but I couldn't afford to show it?

My sobs grew hysterical and my thoughts blurred together. I yearned to be normal, and knew that I never could be; normal wasn't for demons. I would never be allowed to enjoy the world and all its treasures the way that Starfire did, and dreaming for it wasn't going to change anything. Slowly, my sobs turned quieter, and eventually stopped. Feeling empty, I rose from the floor slowly, crawled into my bed, and pulled the torn sheets over me, enjoying their wordless embrace and silent understanding as I drifted off into a restless sleep.


	4. Herbal Remedy

Swirls. Shadows and cloaks. Around me, darkness weaves its concealing dance, shielding me from the outside world. Inside my escape, nothing can upset me. I read many books, I chant many spells, and he holds my hand. He teaches me everything he has known for the past millennia, and I absorb his knowledge, eager to help him. With him, I am never alone. With him, I am beautiful, and important.

 _Raven, why are you so creepy?_ Beast Boy's words drift through my paradise. No, I'm not creepy, just different. He understands that; he knows that I am dark, but that darkness is just misunderstood. He hugs me with his parchment arms, and I, for the first time, allow someone into my heart. When he reminds me that without him, I am alone, I shed tears that I've always kept bottled up, and he wipes them away.

I free him from his prison, an ancient curse. Never will I be alone, I now have someone who understands me. I chant the spell, weave my fingers, and wait for him to step forth. Wind rises, vicious claws, terrible wings, red eyes. I fight him, and imprison once again the only person I have ever allowed into my heart. And I'm alone. Alone again. All alone.

With a gasp, I sat up in bed, throwing my covers off of me. My eyes dance around me, taking in my surroundings, trying to make sense of madness as my heart races. Slowly, I calm down, and look at the clock, and find I've only been asleep for a couple hours. I stride over to my drapes, and peel back the curtains; outside, the late afternoon sun gleams, stinging my eyes. I allow the drape to fall back into place, and stare at the sun spots in my vision as a single tear sneaks down my cheek.

Malchior was the only man who ever understood me. With him, I had felt appreciated, and loved for who I was. And, in the end, my desperation for understanding led to my blindly releasing him from the book in which he was bound. Every sweet, kind word, every paper rose folded, every stroke of my chin, was just his way of tricking me into setting him free from his rightly enchainment.

I glance across the room, to the large, locked chest on the floor by the door. I stare at it with longing; inside it was Malchior, once more trapped inside the pages of an ancient text. I never had the power to vanquish the only person who had ever understood me. He sat there, always on the edge of my thoughts, probably thinking of another way of tricking me into trusting him again. On my worst days, when I felt more out of place in this mortal world than usual, I would contemplate unlocking the chest, opening the book, reconnecting with my old, burning flame, but remembering the betrayal, and remembering the pain, I hadn't opened the chest since I had returned him within the covers of the book.

A quiet knock on the door pulls my attention from the past and to the present. "Raven?" Beast Boy inquires quietly, nervously. "Raven, are you asleep?"

"Go away," I drone, not wanting to deal with the world outside my dark fortress.

"Raven, I'm really sorry," he whines, knocking a little more persistently.

"I said to leave me alone," I growl, my voice growing a little louder.

"Look, Raven, the others have left for the city, and they've told me that they won't come home until we resolve our argument. I'm trying to make amends here! I'm asking for your forgiveness." I phase through the floor and directly up behind his back soundlessly.

"You don't deserve anything from me," I hiss, causing him to whirl with a scream and bump into the door into my room. "You don't deserve even my forgiveness." He sighs, and looks down at the floor. I scoff at his immaturity, and glide down the hall, intent on making myself another cup of tea, and this time, finishing it.

"I always manage to mess things up," he groans behind me.

"Yeah, you do," I confirm in a monotone voice, not even glancing back.

"No matter how hard I try, I only manage to worsen our relationship," he continues, ignoring me. I pause in my approach to the kitchen, but keep my back turned to him, slightly interested in what he had to say. "I try to make you laugh, and I annoy you, I try to make you breakfast, and it literally blows up in my face. I've done everything I can think of to make you like me, and you still hate me." With a sigh, I turn around, and gently pull the hood off of my head so I can make easier eye contact.

"I do like you, Beast Boy, I told you that in Nevermore."

"Well, why don't you act like it? You deal with going to the mall with Starfire, you force yourself to help Cyborg with the T-Car, and I've seen you steel yourself to train overtime with Robin. But you can't stand being around me even for a minute."

"I agreed to be referee whenever you and Cyborg play Stankball, didn't I?" I sigh, irritated.

"You did that for the both of us, not just for me!"

"We've done stuff alone before," I argue, intent on winning the discussion.

"Yeah? Like what?" he said, chagrin. I began to rack my brain, and think of all the moments he and I had ever been alone. After Malchior, he had apologized for how the dragon had broken my heart, and I had hugged him. When we had first fought Adonis, the Beast within him felt the natural need to protect me when the villain came looking for me. I thought long and hard, but everything I came up with wasn't something habitual or regular; it was just spontaneous and fleeting. "You can't think of anything, can you?" he sighed, his ears falling a little lower. I shake my head, and we stand in silence, a superfluous amount of distance between two people having a conversation. He stares at the ceiling, and then closes his eyes. "I don't know what I ever did to make you hate me." I groaned inwardly, frustrated with the amount of drama and emotion he was displaying.

"Fine, we can hang out, what do you want to do?" He glances at me, and a huge, toothy smile cracks across his face. He began naming off various activities we could do as he grasped my wrist and dragged me along behind him. I began zoning out as his list buzzed on, and when we stopped in the kitchen I was confused. He sat on one of the yellow barstools, smiling expectantly at me.

"What?" I stutter, startled; clearly, he had said something, and I had missed it.

"Helllloooo?" he teases, dragging out the word. "Earth to Raven? I said let's have some tea!" I blinked at him, speechless. When I don't move, he sighs, leaps over the kitchen island brutishly, and began preparing the tea. I watched him, puzzled, and after a few minutes, he came back with two steaming mugs, pressing one into my hands. We sit, side by side, on the barstools, sipping the liquid as the light in the room turns richer as the sun begins its descent in the sky. Once we had finished our beverages, I courteously took both mugs and placed them in the sink.

"What next?" I ask, turning around and tilting my head. He taps his chin with his finger as he thought, and after a few moments, his eyes lit up. He gestures for me to follow, and we climb the stairs of the tower, before finally creeping out and onto the roof. He sits down precariously on the ledge, and tapped the spot next to him invitingly. I sit next to him, and silently, we watched the sunset for a few minutes.

"Isn't this boring you?" I ask, my violet eyes taking in the natural beauty. I see him shrug beside me, his eyes not moving.

"It's not half bad with you here," he smiles. I turn and looked at him, and he smiled brightly. "I mean, don't get me wrong, if I was alone right now, I'd be passed out over there, but with someone else, you know, by my side…" he turns his gaze back to the bright star in the sky, "well, it isn't as bad." We sit in silence for a few more moments, and then he turns to me. "Okay, I chose twice, now it's your turn to pick." I bite the inside of my cheek, and ponder. I suggest we watch a movie, and although the movie wasn't very funny, a few of the comments he muttered under his breath about the character's or plotline made me smile ever so slightly. By the end, it was dark outside.

"Well, now what?" Beast Boy inquires, getting up off the couch.

"Honestly, I really just want to meditate," I reply emotionlessly, thinking of how my last session hadn't been successful.

"Go ahead," he said, nodding. After I gave him a suspicious glance, he grins reassuringly. "I won't be a distraction." I close my eyes, and begin floating above the couch cushions as I chant my phrase, over and over and over again. When I finally feel that I am completely recentered, and that I had regained complete control of my emotions and powers, I open my eyes, and float back down into the soft support of the sofa. Looking to my left, I see that the shape shifter is sitting down a little ways away from me, watching. I glance at the clock, and see that two and a half hours had passed.

"You stayed? The whole time?" I question him, incredulous. He nods, shifts into a kitten, stretches his back, and retakes his human form.

"Yeah, it wasn't bad," he shrugged, before standing up. "Well, I'm exhausted, and I think I'm going to go to bed." I nod at him and say goodnight quietly, and as he leaves the living room, I begin to yawn. I warp into my room and collapse in bed, falling into a strange, unfamiliar dream of sunsets and green cats.


	5. From Fun to Fury

When I awoke the next morning, the tower seemed noisier than usual, and as I padded into the living room, I found that Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire had returned. I gave each of them a brief wave before grabbing a bowl from the fridge and dicing several fruits into it. I walked over to the large windows, staring out at the early day sunlit ocean, and nibbled on some fresh strawberries and blueberries. I finished it quickly, placed the bowl gently in the sink, and began to read the Book of Azar again, floating in my far off corner of the shared space. Beast Boy came strolling in, and I saw Robin tense a little and watch my reaction. When I smiled and nodded my head at the changeling, a look of confusion and relief clouded his face before returning his gaze to the television.

"Hey BB!" Cyborg said, slapping the smaller male a high five. "What do you say we go down to the courts and play some basketball?"

"No thanks, man," Beast Boy said, shaking his head. As Cyborg's face fell with disappointment, Beast Boy strolled up easily alongside me, and Starfire, who was feeding Silkie in a high chair across the room, froze with terror. "Hey Raven," he greeted me comfortably.

"Morning," I replied simply, although not coldly.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go down to the park with me today," he offered, his eyes twinkling with hope. My first instinct was to deny attendance, but as I thought of the day before, I realized that we had done everything that I had wanted, and he had willingly went along with it. I decided that today, I could tolerate the direct sunlight, screaming children, and honking cars.

"The park sounds great," I said, lowering my hood and smiling at him as my usually monotone voice took on a bit of warmth. Starfire's jaw fell open, and as I loudly announced to the other men of the Titans where the pair of us were headed, I could feel their eyes drilling into our backs. After the door shut behind us, I let out a sigh I hadn't realized I was holding.

"We're getting a bit more attention than you would like, huh?" Beast Boy asked, leading the way down the stairs. I nodded, and he offered me a supportive smile. "It's alright, I think that their just surprised we were able to patch things up so quickly, and so well." We dashed down into the cellar, grabbed a frisbee, and raced outside, before we took to the sky together. His eagle wings beat the air below him as we glided at a steady, unrushed pace. Inside me, I could sense his contentment, and his glee at finally getting to do something he was genuinely interested in.

As we landed lightly on the dewy grass, several children and a small dog ran past, laughing merrily. I watched them blankly, wondering what it would feel like to be able to express such emotions. As they darted behind a group of bushes and out of sight, I turned to face my companion, who was staring at me thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking about?" Beast Boy asked thoughtfully. I shook my head and began walking away from him.

"Nothing, come on, throw it already," I called over my shoulder. We tossed the Frisbee easily for some time, really just relaxing and stretching our tight muscles. Once we had been throwing it back and forth for quite some time, I noticed that he began throwing them a little harder and a little higher. Each time he passed it to me, I had to raise my hand higher to catch it. "Stop it," I growled at him, glaring across the grass.

"Stop what?" he asked simply feigning innocence, as he chucked it back towards me. I stood on my tip toes and barely caught it. As I landed back on the heels of my feet, I sighed with irritation.

" _That_ ," I said insistently, throwing it back at him a little harder than before. He smiled, and with a devilish look in his eyes, he cocked his arm back.

"Oh? You mean _that?"_ he stressed, throwing with all his might at me. The Frisbee flew high into the air and well above my reach as he began laughing. I soared into the sky, but I wasn't fast enough to grab it with my hand.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A quick, black claw sprouted from my outreached hand and snagged the plastic disk just as it was about to fly over me. As I floated down to the ground, the saucer still in my Soul-Self's hand, Beast Boy continued to laugh, his eyes closed and unobservant. My eyes began to glow darkly, and I began to rotate my wrist slowly; in reaction, the raven's claw of power that was holding the disc surrounded it completely and filled it, putting a little piece of myself into it as it began to spin with my wrist. As my wrist twisted faster and faster, the Frisbee began to whirl at blindly speeds. An audible buzzing filled the air and the plastic edges of the toy sliced through the air, and the changeling finally opened his eyes to see what was the source of the noise. A small, meek squeak escaped his mouth as he eyed the blur of black energy floating beside me.

"Catch," I grinned. I held out my hand, and the disk whizzed away with a whirring noise, well up and over the green head of my fellow Titan. With a cry of surprise, he morphed into a cheetah and chased it desperately. As the dark aura of power left my eyes, he saw that the disk was well on its way out of the park's airspace, and morphing into an eagle, chased after it as it soared over the high, metal fence of the city park, dodging mindless pigeons and power lines. Just as the saucer was about to collide with a skyscraper, his talons snatched it in the air, and he wheeled about, returning with his prize.

He morphed into his human form and fell at my feet gasping, the Frisbee gripped tightly in his left hand. After a few moments, he looked up at me with a ecstatic grin. "You're…laughing," he gasped between breaths. As he said it, I realized my sides were aching with the amount of glee that was bubbling up inside me. Suddenly wary and self conscious, my laughter stopped short; around me, I saw my powers, which had been reacting to my strong emotion of joy, release its hold on several things around me: a few dried leaves, a pinecone, a lost football, and a handful of pebbles all fell to the ground about us, suddenly without a power supply. As the items fell lightly, I began to squeeze Happy back into the mental cage I kept all my emotions in, returning to my usual dry self.

As Beast Boy finally rose from the ground, he smiled encouragingly at me, nodding his head. "I like it when you laugh," he confessed openly.

"I shouldn't be laughing, I shouldn't be feeling anything," I groaned, turning my back on him and closing my eyes, trying to keep my emotions in check.

"You know, Raven, being happy isn't so bad," he said, placing a hand gently on my shoulder.

"Didn't you see what just happened? I was feeling too much, and my powers became uncontrollable. I didn't order my Soul-Self into any of those things, but it entered anyway. My emotions are dangerous."

"Dangerous?" he scoffed. He gestured at the scattered debris around us, eyeing me. "Does an old football and a pinecone look dangerous to you?"

"We were lucky," I droned, "it could've been a car, or a tree."

"But it wasn't," Beast Boy argued stubbornly. "It was a bunch of harmless junk! You've never let yourself feel much, because you know that you're emotions are tied to your powers. The only emotions you have ever really lost control of before is your anger." I huffed and put my hood on before beginning to fly away, wanting to end the conversation, but his words halted me mid-air. "Growing up, you didn't have a whole lot to be happy about, what with your dad being a psycho demon and your destiny as the portal and what not. But you had a lot to be mad about, and whenever you lost your control of your rage, you destroyed things around you; it only makes sense, you know, that uncontrollable anger leads to destruction. But have you ever just let yourself lose control when you're happy?"

I floated to the ground and looked at him from beneath the beak of my blue hood, and thought about his words. "No," I said slowly. "No, I haven't ever lost control of good emotions."

"Until today," he grinned, giving me a thumbs up. "At least we know now that, at least your positive emotions, are about as destructive as—"

"A seven foot tall man in a red metal body suit?" I interjected, cutting him off tensely.

"No," he blinked. "I was actually going to say a bunny with a carrot sword. Why do you say that?"

"Because that's the trouble we have now; Down!" I tackled Beast Boy to the ground just in time as a giant, metal fist whizzed over our heads. I enveloped him in my black energy, and warped us several yards away from the threat. As we rose to our feet, our lips curled with disgust.

"Hey, baby," Adonis called across the way. "Did you miss me?" Beast Boy grabbed my hand and began pulled me away.

"We need the others, run," Beast Boy whined, tugging at my wrist.

"No," I gasped, "We have to protect the citizens!" As we turned our attention back to the titanic man, we saw him make a run at a baby carriage; from inside, wailing could be heard. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The tiny bundle of flesh lifted swiftly from the blankets and into my cradled hands, just as the villain's enormous fists smashed the carriage to pieces.

"Going after babies now, Adonis?" Beast Boy called, getting his attention as I handed the screaming infant to its bewildered parents. "Isn't that a little low, even for you?" As the parents ran away screaming, along with the rest of the park's inhabitants, I turned around and stepped up beside my partner, ready for battle.

"Here's a hint, little man," Adonis called, flexing his mechanic biceps, "Chicks love bad boys." He winked and blew a kiss at me, and I scoffed in disgust. I rose in the air, and held out my hands; several large boulders around me lifted obediently about me.

"Here's a clue, little man," I hissed in a monotone droll, "I've got enough bad in me for this whole city!" With a cry, I flung the rocks forward. Adonis punched through the first two and rolled free from the third one. Beast Boy morphed into a triceratops and charged him, trumpeting war cry. As Adonis grabbed my teammates horns and flung him aside, I whipped my communicator out from my waistband and flipped it open. Immediately, Robin's face filled the screen; behind him I could see Cyborg and Starfire watching me apprehensively. "Robin, trouble," I spat in a hurry. "Adonis is attack us at the park."

"We're on our way," my masked leader confirmed before I flipped the device shut and shoved it back on my belt. As I looked up, I saw the one man and one green gorilla grasp each other's hands, trying to force each other to their knees. Adonis lifted his knee with a grunt and slammed it into my partner's stomach. Beast Boy roared in pain as the red, metal man threw him viciously against the trunk of an ancient tree. With a ear splitting groan, the pine fell, showering Beast Boy's unmoving body with needles.

A long time ago, when we were only kids, Beast Boy gave everything he had to protect me from Adonis. Now it was my turn to defend him. I zoomed across the grass, and landed a cruel, aerial roundhouse kick to Adonis' jaw. As he stumbled back a few steps with a grunt, I landed in a crouch in between him and my unconscious roommate, my mouth twisted into a scowl and my eyes glowing maliciously with my dark birthright of demonic abilities.

"No one hurts my friend."


	6. Defending a Beast

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Tendrils of dark energy shot forth from my body and slammed against Adonis, sending him flying back several yards. He landed roughly on his back, and grunted with pain. I turned and knelt beside Beast Boy's body and began shaking him.

"Beast Boy? Garfield? Garfield, wake up!" Something slammed me to the side, and I quickly rolled into a crouch with a grimace, fighting the throbbing in my head. Adonis smirked at me, flexing his pectoral muscles obnoxiously.

"I was wondering when I was going to get to see my pretty little bird again," he smirked, winking at me. "Miss me while I was away?"

"Actually, I think a few more years in prison would've done you well," I replied coolly as I floated into the air. "It would have taught you some manners." I surrounded his body armor in my energy, and a struggle began between us; me trying to tear his defenses away, and him trying to break free. With a shout of effort, he broke free of my grasp, and threw a vicious uppercut into my jaw. I soared away and crash landed in a bush, which cradled me a few feet above the ground. I rubbed my jaw and shook my head, beating back the shadows that were creeping into my blurry vision, when I felt the sun's warm rays suddenly weaken. I glared up, and he stood proudly over me. I melted into the ground, and appeared behind him with a growl. Obeying my command, countless yards of tree roots erupted from the earth with a screech and wrapped around my enemy. As layer upon layer of wood tightened around the villain, I felt him struggle against his bonds.

With a flex of his large biceps, he tore through the binds, and reached up to grab my ankle. I quickly avoided his grasp, and flew just out of reach as I searched for another weapon. My eyes landed on the playground behind Adonis, and I raised my palms, ready to command.

"Azarath Metrion Zin-" A huge thrown boulder slammed into my fragile, human body, and I fell from the sky like a plane. I waited for the impact of the cold ground, but found that I landed in someone's arms. "Beast Boy?" I asked, my fuzzy vision beginning to clear. As I saw who my savior was, I nearly gagged as our eyes met.

"Not quite, baby, something much better," Adonis chuckled, cuddling my small body closer to him. I punched him across the face, but he only smiled, his grip tightening on my narrow shoulders and thick thighs. "Quit squirming," he growled as I began to buck my body, trying to rip free. He grabbed me by the ankles, and slammed me back and forth against the ground. A unwelcomed whimper escaped my throat, and he swung my back up into his arms, carrying me as a groom cradles his bride. "See, now I like this," he cooed, wiping a small trickle of blood from the corner of my mouth. "Don't get me wrong, I like your fire, but all soft and limp like this," his cold, metal fingers traced my bruised legs, "I like you like this." He stroked my cheek sickly, and I flinched from his touch. "You're like a dark, angry little princess," he laughed loudly, his thick fingers rubbing my cold skin.

I gave my head a clearing shake, and glared up at him. "I'm nobody's damsel in distress," I growled, angry. My eyes began to glow white, and as I blinked them, they disappeared, and were replaced with four, ruby diamonds. As Adonis shouted in surprise, my Rage grew, and as it did, so did my body. Soon, I was several feet taller than the gargantuan metal man, and as he threw me to the ground, I laughed at his growing panic. Instead of my back hitting the grass, the tentacles clawing their way from beneath my robe caught me. As I corrected myself, rising sharply as a vampire does from a coffin, Adonis took several steps back, spewing curses. I felt his fear growing inside him, along with his uncertainty, and I relished it. I had felt his emotions, I had seen inside his mind; I knew that he would have killed Beast Boy savagely, and that what he planned on doing to me afterwards…well, I would rather die live through it.

"Well, well, well, look at how the tables have turned," I laughed, the demons of my heritage echoing in my voice as I spoke. His eyes widened in fear, and I could see him begin to tremble. My tentacles reached out, and wrapped around him tightly as he shouted in fear, begging for me to stop. I dragged him closer, and held him up close to my face, my four eyes appraising his bloodless face. "You know," I hissed in his ear, causing him to whimper in fear, "I like you like this. Weak," my tentacles ripped the armor off of his left arm, "helpless," I tore the armor from his other arm, "and completely under my control." As he shouted in fear, I threw him to the ground, and floated into the air. As he stared up at me, I closed my satanic eyes, absorbed my tentacles into my body, and crossed my legs.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" My whole Soul-Self, in the form of my body, glowing darkly, zoomed into Adonis' armor. For a moment, he froze, and then began screaming in panic. An ungodly rending noise could be heard, and with a shrieking like hell below, I ripped his body armor off of him, revealing his scrawny, meek body. My Soul-Self returned to my body, and as I floated down to the ground, my eyes their regular, violet selves, I saw him rise to his feet unsteadily as his eyes darted about, looking for an escape. I held out my hand, and one of the chains from the swing set tore from its hinges and wrapped around Adonis, binding him to a large tree.

Seeing that he was bound safely, I ran over to where I had left Beast Boy, and found his spot empty. As I began searching underneath the splintered wood and sharp needles, I heard a whimper from far behind a set of large rocks. As I came about it, I gasped in shock as A huge, grayish green Beast lunged at me defensively, baring it's razor fangs and growling. I took several steps back, trying to catch my breath, and the Beast shrank back and began whining in fear, eyeing me with terror.

"Beast Boy….It's me," I said, taking off my hood. The Beast's lips fell over his fangs, and the confusion swimming in his eyes told me he recognized me. I took a small step towards him again, and he gave a sharp, warning growl, telling me to get back. "It's ok, Beast Boy, it's me, it's me," I cooed, slowly raising my hand. He eyed my hand warily, and his growl became louder. "I'm sorry that Adonis hurt you. I tried my best to protect you." I took another step closer, and my palm was in inches of his muzzle.

With a sudden roar, it lunged forward to bite my hand, but as my hand stroked his rough fur, he stopped. We stood there, beast and demon, just my fingertips connecting us. Finally, the Beast relaxed against my caress, and nuzzled against it, before fainting. I grunted as I tried to lower the massive body to the dirt, and cradled his thick skull in my lap. With a growl that weakened into a sigh, the Beast shaped back to Beast Boy, and I sighed in relief as I saw the T-Car pull up.

"Raven!" Starfire cried, immediately flying over to us and landing gently on my charge's other side.

"I'm fine," I say weakly, offering an unconvincing smile. "Tell Robin and Cyborg to take Adonis back to the penitentiary."

"And you?" she asked, her emerald eyes wide with tears.

"I'm taking him home." As my adopted sister zipped away, I wrapped the shape shifter in the gossamer sheet of my cold darkness, and warped him home, and into his room. I struggled to carry his large body over to his bed over the mountains of clothes and pizza boxes, wondering exactly when it was that he had grown taller than me. As I dumped his dead weight onto the mattress, I sighed with relief, and sat next to him weakly. I needed to heal myself, but the walk to the infirmary or my bedroom felt like miles, and I had used all my energy to teleport us safely. After a few moments, I shoved his unconscious body over, and lay next to him with a hiss of pain. I closed my eyes, and as my body lifted from the sheets, I began healing myself, and withdrew from the world around me.


	7. Rekma

**Before I continue the story, I just want to give a shout out to all the people who have reviewed this story thus far. I have written quite a few stories, all for different fandoms, and I have never gotten so much feedback in such little time. Thanks for letting me have your opinions, glad you like my interpretations!**

Beast Boy's head pounded furiously, and the throbbing caused him to groan when he finally awoke, dazed and confused. As his blurry vision cleared, he found himself not at the park, but in his own room. Groggily, he glanced around, and from the corner of his eye, saw someone there, watching him.

With a screech that caused his head to bang even harder, he clawed as far away as he could from the figure, only to realize that the shape was familiar. Raven levitated just above his mattress, her short hair and cloak swirling around her, her eyes shut gently. As he stared at her face and his heart began to slow it's absurd pace, tiny flashes of memory flew by in his mind's eye. He saw sunshine, and a Frisbee, broken trees and blood, red metal, screams, moist green grass and children with a dog. But most of all, at the very cusp of his recall, he heard something. A laugh. A beautiful, rare, joy filled laugh.

Beast Boy carefully climbed over his teammate and stumbled into the kitchen, and found that the others were missing. He drank several glasses of water, and swallowed a few pain relieving pills with a little difficulty before trudging back to his room. The young man partially expected the girl to be awake upon his arrival, and when he found her still slumbering, he was at a loss what to do. After a few minutes of pacing, Beast Boy left his room again, went to the living room, and flicked on the television. About an hour later, the rest of the team returned home.

"Friend!" Starfire cried jubilantly as she squeezed Beast Boy in a bone crushing hug. "I am most glad to see you doing the up and about!"

"Thanks, Star," Beast Boy sighed happily, returning the hug. Once their embrace ended, he looked at his other roommates with confusion. "So, like, what exactly happened?"

"To be honest, we aren't really sure," Cyborg said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"You and Raven went to go hang out at the park, and a little while later, she called me on the communicator, saying that Adonis had attacked, and that you two needed backup." More memories began to fall into place; he remembered the first few hits and punches, and how the tree had snapped as he collided with it. He only remembered the pain, the rage…and the sudden change. The Beast. He had accidently released the Beast again. As he tried to hide his horror and disgust he felt with himself, Robin continued on, unaware of the changeling's inner battle. "By the time we arrived, the fight was over. We just came home from taking Adonis to jail." Robin placed a reassuring hand on the tall man's shoulder, and gave it a strong squeeze. "We are all glad you're okay."

"And Raven?" Cyborg asked, scanning the living room with his mechanical eye and not locating her. "Is she alright?"  
"I think so," Beast Boy muttered, itching his spiky hair. "She's passed out in my room, healing herself. I'll go and check on her."

"Please, might I come along and check on her as well?" Starfire asked hopefully.

"Honestly Star," Beast Boy chuckled nervously, "the only reason Raven is sleeping in there right now is because she was probably too beat up from the fight to walk out into the hallway and sleep on the floor. Really, you don't want to go in there."

"Yeah, girl, the pile of unwashed socks in that room could kill a skunk," Cyborg smirked, crossing his large arms. As Starfire's laugh trailed behind him, Beast Boy felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. When he had been younger, his messy trademark had been something he was proud of, his identifier. But he was 19 now; it was time to grow up.

The door slid open immediately in greeting to him, and Raven was just as he had left her. Knowing that if I wasn't ready, there was no way of waking me, he shook my shoulder gently, calling my name slowly. He heaved a sigh of relief when my eyes slid open and focused on his face. "Thank goodness," he grinned, "I'm glad that you're okay."

I floated back down onto the mattress and sat up quickly. With a quick look of disgust around the room, I checked my body for any severe damage that I hadn't had time to heal, and was pleased to see that only a minor bruise on my thigh was left of the encounter.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. I turned to him, pulling my hood over my head, then hopped off of his bed, so that I was standing beside him.

"Adonis attacked, and we fought him. We won." I began heading to the door, but could feel his gaze on my back. "Something you need to say to me?" I asked as I glided out the door.

"I'm just glad that you're okay," he said quickly as the door began to slide close. I put my hand in the door jam, and offered him a quick grin of my own from within the shadows of my cloak.

"I'm glad that you are okay too," I said, before returning to my own room. I began meditating, focusing on reeling in all of the day's stress and pain, for several hours. Half way through, Starfire came into my room silently, and upon seeing my state, began to float beside me, and joined me wordlessly in centering herself. After a few more hours, I felt I had complete control, and allowed my chanting to stop, and for my feet to touch the floor.

"I'm so very glad that you are unharmed!" Starfire immediately bellowed, hugging me passionately. I returned it in a meeker, duller fashion, and when she let go, her smile was so bright, it felt like it was illuminating the room.

"I'm glad you're happy," I offered in my usual drab tone. We walked out of the room together, the shadow and sunshine, and strode into the living room, where the three boys were playing a combat video game on the immense television. They all offered the pair of us curt greetings as they continued playing. I sipped a cup of tea while Starfire munched on some of her freakish alien food, and we watched the sun set together, the noise of the men's conflict a pleasant, familiar background track.

When I had drained my cup and the sun was gone, I excused myself from my friend's company and headed to the roof, where I could be alone and watch the city in the distance. The city's lights twinkled invitingly, and I sighed with content, glad that the Teen Titans were able to protect the people again.

I grew tense at this thought. We weren't the Teen Titans anymore. When this had all started, when Starfire had first come to Earth, and her arrival had bonded us all together, I had been 15. Time was a cruel creature. Five years later, things were changing. Robin went out on missions more and more often alone. Cyborg, whose now 22, goes out most evenings to go dancing or to the bar. Everyone was growing up, and we were no longer teenagers. We were all adults, still living in the same house, arguing who ate the last slice of pizza, and blaming each other for the loss of the remote.

 _Rekma._ The Drifting. It was something that Starfire had feared all that time ago, on that strange, alien holiday. At the time, her fear of us growing distant had bonded us together. But we were all adults now, and we were all stronger than we were before. Robin had mentioned that when we had originally began fighting crime, none of us were experienced enough to go in it alone, and it made sense for us to form a group. But now…well, he hadn't said it, but he had implied it: we didn't need each other anymore.

He is wrong. I need them. I need all of them. Before them, I never knew love or friendship. I never knew the meaning of family, or how someone could irritate you so much that the idea of punching them in the face both pleased you and made you upset with yourself for thinking such things. Without them, I was alone. Alone, like I had been for so long. The others were all ready to move on with their lives, start families, have their own home, but the idea of going out there without them frightened me. But how could I tell them that? How could I, secretive, introverted half demon, tell my family that I still needed them? I wasn't ready to be alone, and I wasn't sure if I ever would be.

Feeling worse than when I had originally climbed to the roof, I headed for the stairs, and retired for the evening.


	8. Water the Soul

**This fanfic of mine has the greatest rate of following and popularity out of all of them! Wow! Thanks for the support guys! Just so all my readers know, I just moved into my college dorm today (yay), which means work and school will be beginning soon, and updates will become rarer…sorry! If you like my story telling and writing style, why not check out my other stories as well? Who knows, maybe you and I share a love for more than just Teen Titans together.**

If there was one true evil in this world I wish I could stop, it would be time. He rolled on by, the days and nights all melting together, only broken apart by the occasional lowlife committing crime in the big city. I wish that my powers were more deliberate; that I could stop time whenever I wanted and enjoy the present with my friends, like I did on my sixteenth birthday, but the world just didn't work like that, and it felt like I was the only one mourning the lost time.

The team was growing distant, and no matter all my attempts to try and reconnect with them, the effects weren't permanent, only lasting a few days before they drifted off into isolation. It went against my very nature, my very upbringing, to try and share my emotions, to try and voice my own wants, and every time the others would drift away after a fun day out together, I would silently curse myself for putting myself into such a vulnerable and awkward position of requesting their companionship in the first place.

Beast Boy was the only one who stayed by me. I found myself seeking his comfort and conversation more and more often, and discovered that he himself would rather watch the sunset with me than race Cyborg on the Game Station. Although I never voiced my concerns of the team's growing distance to him, it seemed as though he could sense my worry, and would try his best with his ridiculous jokes to pull a grin out of my stoic lips.

One night, I awoke, thirsty for water, and quickly pulled my cloak over my thin pajamas before venturing out into the hallway. I meandered into the kitchen clumsily, and found the gigantic television in the living room screaming some commercial for a new hair removal device. The flashing colors and the overtly joyful people with the fake smiles as they held the remover in front of the camera lit the pitch black living space. I glided over to the coffee table, snatched up the remote, and clicked the screen into a sudden silence. As I turned and strode to the sink for a glass of water, a whimper from where I had left caused me to pause. Slowly, I crept back to the couch, and found a green shape shifter sprawled on the green couch. His brow was furrowed in frustration, and he muttered in his troubled sleep, a disturbing nightmare robbing him of proper rest.

"Beast Boy, wake up," I commanded, shaking his shoulder gently. When his mumbling continued, I called more forcefully, and shook his shoulder with more vigor. His eyes fluttered open in the darkness, his wide eyes reflecting the moonlight sneaking in through the window. He eyed me with confusion as I rose to my feet again. "You fell asleep watching T.V.," I informed him, before turning and fetching the cup of water I had originally awoken for. He followed me, unusually quiet, and as I left to return to my room, he followed me, still silent.

"Goodnight," I said as my bedroom door slid open in greeting.

"I had a nightmare," he responded. I turned and looked back at him, and as he returned my gaze, his eyes swam with pain, with confusion, and with sorrow.

"Want to come in?" I asked simply, holding my hand out to the inside of my room. He paused for a moment, slightly taken aback by my offer, then trotted in. I surrounded several of the lamps about my room with my force, and a dim, purple light lit the room. He looked around, slightly uneasy in the dark, before sitting down in a black leather chair near my bed.

"How can you stand all this dark?" he asked quietly. "It's so creepy, you can't see anything." I looked around at my lair and sighed with happiness. Many people couldn't understand my point of view.

"You fear the dark because you can't see through the shadows," I said, my monotone voice filling the silence. "Many are scared of what they can't see, what they can't control. Most people like copious light, so that all the shadows are beaten away, and they can see everything. It's a simple delusion that I see through that many don't; I know there are things beyond my control, and there always have been, and always will be. To me, the darkness isn't something that hides threats and dangers. To me, it's like a sanctuary, a blanket, that wraps me, protects me. Protects me with the knowledge that there are things I can't see or control, so why worry about it when I can be at ease? Stressing won't make it any better." He eyed me in the dark, his one pointy fang sneaking over his lip.

"I had a nightmare," he repeated. I nodded, encouraging him to continue, as I sat on the corner of my bed, close to him. "Well, it wasn't really a nightmare. Nightmares are scary and make you sweat and there's always someone around the corner or chasing after you in a nightmare, right?" he ranted, glancing nervously at me before looking down at his hands and taking a steadying breath. "I was dreaming of Terra." I blinked, my only physical clue that he had surprised me. Terra had been over half a decade ago.

"What about her?" I prodded simply.

"About her smile," he said quietly, a sad grin splitting across his face. "I was dreaming about her long hair and her loud laugh and her way with the earth. About her kindness and joy…about how she tricked us, how she betrayed us, how she tried to kill us…to kill me." His gazed grew angry as he glared at my ceiling. "She used us, and she didn't care."

"She made mistakes," I acknowledged, examining his face. "She used us, and hurt us, and did her very best to end everything we strive to protect. But she also did her best to fix it, and in the end, she saved us all. That was almost six years ago, I thought you forgave her."

"I did," he sighed, burying his face in his palms. As he continued to speak, his voice was muffled by his hands. "I'm not mad at her, Raven, and I don't hold anything against her, but….what she represents, our family, our trust, our bond…it haunts me. I remember how much we all cared for her, and I remember how badly it stung when we found out who she had become." We sat in silence, mutually agreeing that the five of us had never felt the slap of an enemy so close to the heart as Terra's had been.

"I'm afraid," I whispered into the quiet air. Beast Boy turned and stared at me hard, and I looked away under his strong gaze.

"You're afraid," he stated, stunned. I nodded slowly. "Of what?" I stood up silently, went over to the gothic vanity that sat beside my bed's raven's beak head board and opened the drawer, retrieving what I needed. I returned to my teammate, and wordlessly, held a beautifully carved mirror before his face. His gaze switched quickly from confusion to recognition as he shouted my name in surprise. As so as the looking glass absorbed him, I turned it to myself, zooming into my mind.

When my eyes opened onto the dark, threatening scene of Nevermore, I saw Beast Boy looking about nervously. "Is, uh, well… is _he_ gone?" he asked implicitly. I nodded my head; my Rage was under control, and the depiction of Trigon wasn't rampaging free through my mind.

"What is he doing here?" my green cloaked alter ego asked, poking my teammate on the cheek. Happy, robed in pink, quickly shoved Brave out of the way, and began bouncing on the balls of her feet before him, grinning wildly.

"I'm so glad we are hanging out again!" she chimed. I shooed the others away from him, before taking his wrist and leading him to the edge of the platform we stood on. I waved my hand in the Nevermore air, and before us, a plotless movie began to play in the Nevermore air.

Cyborg stomping out the front door, alone. Robin revving the R-Cycle and zooming away, his cape flying behind him. Starfire gazing shiftlessly at the city before her, before floating towards it slowly. Each image was a memory of mine, memories of loneliness and solitude, of each of my family members drifting away from the tower, away from me. After the images darkened, I shut my eyes quietly, and when I reopened them, the pair of us were back in my room, just as before.

As I returned the looking glass to its home in the vanity's drawer, Beast Boy rose to his feet and walked behind me. "No one is leaving you, Raven," he said quietly behind me. As I turned to look at him, and I shook my head.

"My memories don't lie, the truth can't be covered. We are drifting apart," I groaned, squeezing my eyes against the loneliness.

"Why haven't you told anyone this has been bothering you?" he asked, stooping down to look at my downturned face. "No one can read your mind, Raven. It's your choice to keep your emotions to yourself, but you can't be upset if no one notices your anger then."

"I'm not angry," I said, my voice heated. "I'm hurt," I whimpered, my voice cracking on the final word. A forbidden tear tracked down my cheek, and within a second, I was enveloped in a tight hug. He held me as the sorrow washed over me, and I suffered in silence. Our arms wrapped around each other, and he rested his chin on my hair, shushing me comfortingly, even though I wasn't crying anymore. I rode the waves of his voice back to calmness, and when the sadness was once again bearable, I wiggled from his grasp and looked into his deep green eyes. He crouched down a little, and as his hands squeezed my shoulder reassuringly, he gave me a small smile.

"Tomorrow we will talk to the others," he stated. I nodded, still not looking at him. He looked at me a little longer, before asking, "Are you tired?" I nodded again, and he led me the few steps over to my plush bed. He pulled back the covers, and helped me into bed, and for the first time in my life, someone tucked me into bed, and made sure I was safe. When I was completely wrapped in the purple velvet of my comforter, and he had fluffed the pillow beneath my head, he raised his eyebrow at me. "Better?" Again, I nodded. His smile could have lit the entire room, as he said goodnight and began to leave.

"Garfield?" I called, my voice uncharacteristically unconfident. He turned and looked at me, and I knew if I asked for anything, anything at all, he would do it for me in a heartbeat. "Thank you." If I had thought his earlier smile was bright, the one that showed up now was blinding. You could taste his joy in the air.

"For you Raven, anytime." As he left my room and I began to fall asleep, for the first time in forever, I felt something, something more than platonic love, peeking out from inside me.

Beast Boy sighed and stretched on the other side of the door, his smile hurting his cheeks. Never had he ever been so happy; not when he beat Cyborg at video games, not when Terra held his hand, not even when they had saved the world from it's end when Trigon had risen. From the moment Beast Boy had seen Raven, he had loved her, but until this evening, he hadn't known it.


	9. Coagulation

"Alright, guys, can I have everyone's attention? I have something to say," Beast Boy hollered in the living room, standing on top of the glass coffee table. Robin continued reading the newspaper as if no one had spoken, Starfire continued to gaze out the large window longingly, and Cyborg began to grumble as he wiggled around on the couch, trying to see the television around the thin boy's body.

"Yo man, cut it out, I'm about to win the championship race here!" he shouted, his red eye narrowing.

"I have something to say," Beast Boy said insistently. With some muttered swears, Cybrog scooted along to couch, so that he had a full view of the screen again. "Come on, guys," Beast Boy whined as the other's continued to ignore him. "Team?" No one moved. His eyes turned to me, wide with disappointment and sadness. With a growl of anger, my eyes began to glow black; the power plug from the back of the game station was yanked free, the newspaper in Robin's hands shredded itself, ad Starfire's floating body was rotated around sharply.

"Hey!" Robin shouted with surprise, his eyes wide in shock. Starfire squealed and fear, and Cyborg's shout of argument sounded.

"What is the meaning of this?" Starfire spat, glaring at me. "Why do you use your power to take control of my body?"

"I was reading a very important article on the penitentiary's limited capacity!" Robin snarled, his masked eyes narrowing in hate.

"I was in first place," Cyborg moaned, slapping his large hand over his eyes in disbelief. I gave them my most withering glare, taking time to stare each of them down before I spoke, my voice heated. "Beast Boy has something to say. He's been waving his arms like a crazed chicken for hours now, and you're al acting like he isn't important enough to listen too."

"Of course he's important," Robin sighed, some of the anger leaving his face.

"Then why are you choosing some stupid printed words over your teammate?" I hissed. A moment passed, and I could see each of the three slowly feel guilty about their attitudes.

"Please, Beast Boy," Starfire finally said, "tell us your news." Beast Boy sighed heavily in response, nodded his graciousness to his alien friend, and turned to the others.

"Guys, we have to do something, the Titans are falling apart," he blurted out. A gasp form the corner made all in the room return their gaze to the extraterrestrial.

"No, surely not!" Starfire cried, her gaze wide on the flesh of her arm. "My molecules are bonded strongly together! How is it that possible, I haven't done-"

"No Star, not like that," Beast Boy smiled, although his eyes were quite sad. "I mean we are drifting apart."  
"Ah come on, man," Cyborg sighed, throwing his titanic arms into the air.

"I'm being serious, dude," Beast Boy said, shaking his head in frustration.

"Beast Boy, I think you might be over-reacting," Robin smirked, crossing his arms.

"I'm not," The green man insisted, his voice rising an octave in frustration. "I am just sa-"

"Please, Beast Boy, I must confess I do not agree with your fears," Starfire sighed, cutting off the Titan's youngest member again. Voices began overlapping in a confusing weave, blanketing the room with denial and a lack of concern. My pale palms covered my ears, trying to shut out their vague and calm accusations; that I was over reacting, that I was losing it, that I was going crazy. Behind their gentle, nonchalant words, I could hear the snickers, the laughter of mockery, as they saw me in my current state: lonely, scared, and fearing abandonment.

As their arguments built and rose in my mind, swirling around just behind my eyes, I felt my heart begin to beat faster in fear and anger. They weren't listening. They were brushing Beast Boy, brushing me, off, like we didn't matter to them. Like all the battles we had fought side by side, all the heartfelt hugs and secrets shared, all the late night movies or games of stankball, meant nothing to them. I was fading from their hearts.

"QUIET!" My sharp voice sliced through the muggy air of denial that had filled the room. The clouds of judgement and condescending thoughts cleared from the air instantly, and when I opened my eyes and inhaled, I found all of my teammates staring at me, through unpolluted air, waiting. My cape billowed about me angrily momentarily, but as I reigned in my emotions, which were spiraling out of control, I found the warm material slowly rest against the back of my bare thighs again.

"Stop," I whispered quietly. My feathery wish, light as a raven's plume, echoed in the silent living space. "Please, no more fighting." As I appraised each of my teammates, I felt my iron heartstrings begin to strum quickly and easily; after all my years of hardship and pain, these four people, my real brothers and sister, my family, could still play me like a harp. A single tear streaked down my grey cheek, and I rubbed at it angrily, cursing my weakness after all my hardening.

No one in the room moved; all was frozen as they stared at me incredulously. Another tear ran down my face, and this one I left to hang, eternally suspended, at the cusp of my face. "Beast Boy isn't the one who has something to say," I croaked, my throat burning. "I do." Beast Boy hopped off of the coffee table, his green eyes never leaving mine. I wiggled deeper into the corner of the room that was designated as my meditation spot, where the floor length windows met the plaster of the wall in a tight corner, trying to find comfort in its cold embrace.

"Rekma." I said quietly. Starfire gasped from across the room. In a flash, her alien arms were constricting me in what must've been intended to be a supportive hug, but came out as a threatening strangulation attempt. I gave her a quick squeeze, then pried her off of me; I had to be heard. She took several steps back, her eyes large and watery, and stood beside Beast Boy. "Don't deny the truth, you are only lying to yourselves to make yourselves feel better," I hissed, my anger at their recent actions mixing with my hurt. "You have all distanced yourselves from each other, from me. I can see it every day. We don't eat dinner at the Pizzeria anymore, we don't all head out together to take down villains, we don't have movie nights. You are all so absorbed in your own worlds now that you can't even look at each other long enough to hold a proper conversation."

"Raven, it's not that we don't care anymore," Robin supplemented weakly, his masked eyes sad.

"Yeah, we are just growing up, getting more responsibilities," Cyborg finished, avoiding my cold stare.

"Growing up means taking on more responsibilities and understanding that you have family that will help support you in them," I hissed, my violet eyes narrowing at the metallic man. "It doesn't mean cutting every one off, and hiding in your own rooms. It doesn't mean becoming short tempered and bitter and rude. You don't start leaving without telling anyone where you're going, or inviting everyone along. Growing up _especially_ doesn't mean locking each other out to the point that when one of us is trying to talk, we treat them like scum." Robin's eyes shut in guilt, trying to ignore my pointed words. A silence enveloped us, the tiny broken family of outcasts, outcasted amongst each other, by each other. My emotions began to swirl around me again angrily, and I felt my cape begin to billow in irritation once more.

Pillows began to float as they were unintentionally filled with my Soul-Self; cabinet doors banged open, the large windows to my left rolled open, leaving me on the precipice of a huge fall. The television screen flitted with static, and the lights flickered. My team looked about nervously, and I could feel their growing fear swelling in my own bosom.

"Raven," Beast Boy said my name like a whisper, a treasure hidden for millennia. I turned my heated gaze to him, and was met with the cool collection of his unconditional trust and love.

The pillows fell from the air, the cabinet doors hung on limp hinges. The T.V clicked off, the lights turned to their regular illumination, and the windows froze, half open. The fresh, ocean breeze tousled my hair lovingly, and I inhaled its cleansing scent, and closed my eyes.

"I miss you." A silence fell once more on the room, but this one wasn't impregnated with scorn or unease; this one reminded me of the kind of silence that filled a nursery as an infant slept on a sun drenched afternoon. I felt Robin's muscular arms wrap around me first, which was quickly followed by the cool touch of Cyborg's titanium chest against my chest. As Beast Boy's wiry arms held us three, and Starfire's freakishly strong embrace wrapped the four of us, I felt safe and secure for the first time in almost a year.

The cuts were still there; they still panged and pined for relief. But at least the blood wasn't flowing; it was beginning to scab over. It was still fragile, I was still fragile, and the recovery could easily be tarnished at this point. But this was the first step to healing, and if that meant slow and steady, as long as I had my family with me again, it was better than my lonely pain tenfold.


	10. Festivities

"Cyborg, go higher, the ribbon isn't even," Robin called from across the living room, eyeing the party decorations critically. Cyborg's mechanical arms extended ever so slightly higher, and Robin grinned in approval. Starfire zipped about the room energetically, putting out an assortment of finger food and party favors, blathering about the upcoming festivities. I looked on quietly, my hood pulled up and over my pale face, hiding my content grin. I straightened the couch cushions and cleaned up some scattered pretzels Starfire had neglected in her excitement.

The living room door slid open, and a collective "happy birthday!" rang threw the air. Beast Boy's green face cracked into a wide smile, and he bounced about, thanking each of us and examining the streamers hanging about. Today, he was turning 20, and for the next few months, we'd be the same age. I watched as he flitted about and smirk silently to myself; some people never grew up.

After some time, our guests arrived; Titans East, Wildebeest, Kid Flash and Jinx. Jericho played some soft music as Argent chatted quietly with Thunder and Lightning. I watch from where I sat on the counter, sipping a rare cup of soda, and admired the gathering. From across the room, Hot Spot and Cyborg were engaged in a quite serious game of beer pong, one that had Más y Menos shouting in excitement. I smiled into my cup as Beast Boy stumbled over, a goofy grin on his face.

"Hello there, little lady," he drawled, his words slurred and running into each other. "What are you doing over here, all by your lonely self?"

"You're drunk," I stated flatly, shaking my head. Beast Boy's green iris' shot to the other side of the room, where Robin and Speedy were chatting in comradery.

"Come on, Raven, lighten up a little," he grumbled, shaking his head slowly. "It's my birthday, can't I have a little fun?" I sipped the cola from my red plastic cup again to hide my smile; under aged drinking wasn't really the kind of crime I was all that concerned about.

"I can't wait to see how Robin reacts," I drawled, my blank face glancing across the way at our leader. A high pitched giggle captured our attention; in the center of the room, where the coffee table had been earlier but was now moved for more floor space, Melvin, Teether, and Timmy were hopping about, screeching with joy. Jericho's tune switched to a light and bouncy flow, and the children moved quicker in response. Five years had passed since I had first met them; Teether was still only a baby when I had rescued them from Monsieur Mallah. Now, they were older; Melvin was growing quickly, her thin arms even lankier than before, her blonde pigtails reaching her waist. She was thirteen now. Timmy had abandoned his blanket years ago, but his blue cape echoed of his younger enrapture with the comfort object. Tiny Teether was seven, and his full head of blonde hair was shaggy and wisped over his blue eyes.

"Those kids adore you, you know," he sighed, his gaze following mine. I nodded, unable to stop the grin that sneaked onto my lips as I watched them flail about. The other people in the room hooted and shouted encouragement, and the three children began to dance even more vigorously, emboldened by the loud approval of the other superheroes.

My sharp teeth, sank into my bottom lip nervously; Timmy's kicking feet were coming dangerously close to the sofa, what if he stubbed his toe? We all knew how quick he was to anger. "Think you'll have any someday?" Beast Boy's quip yanked me from my reverie of concern, and I stared at him blankly.

"What?" I asked simply.

"Would you ever have your own kids?" Beast Boy asked, nodding his head to the trio. His voice had lost its playful, naïve edge, and a sincere note danced on his words. I looked back at the children, and thought deeply on it.

"No," I finally sighed, shaking my head with a content grin as I watched Melvin spin wildly. "No, I can barely handle these little monsters as it is."

"Those little monsters aren't yours," Beast Boy chuckled, pouring himself another alcoholic drink.

"Oh, yes, they are," I said, my voice tender and calm. No, they hadn't come from my body, and I hadn't had long, sleepless nights. But I loved them just as much; I loved them just as much as the people I lived with. I shuddered at a memory; Mallah almost getting away with them in his metallic vehicle, their screams of panic. As I watched them, happy as could be, I began to relax again, and the grimace slowly turned into a smile. I felt his eyes on me, and I turned to face him. "What?" I asked flatly, the tenderness in my tone leaving.

"You really do love them kids, huh?" he grinned, his eyes as warm as a campfire. "You really are quiet an amazing, caring person." His hand was placed heavily on my shoulder, and for a moment, things around us faded. All I could feel was his warm, gloved hand on my shoulder, holding me to the Earth's surface, keeping me there, with him.

"Hello, Beast Boy, and happy birthday!" a familiar voice called. His hand fell away from me, and I instantly felt its loss as Beast Boy turned to his former leader.

"Thanks for coming, Mento!" he laughed loudly, shaking the older man's hand. They talked easily for a time, and I listened in, rarely adding input, trying to sort out my emotions, trying to understand them. "How's the Doom Patrol doing these days?" Beast Boy asked, finally draining his cup.

"As you'd expect; Rita misses you, as you would imagine," Mento chuckled, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad everything is going well," Beast Boy said, leaning all his weight on one leg, bringing him closer to me.

"You know, Garfield, I've been thinking about something," Mento said, his gaze traveling around the room. "Why don't you come on back to the Doom Patrol? We could use talent like you have." Beast Boy smiled as he poured himself a cup of soda, careful to not openly consume alcohol in front of a former superior.

"Thanks for the offer, Mento, but I'm happy right here," he said, leaning against the counter and taking a sip from the solo cup of cola. He was so close that our arms brushed together, and I felt Happy inside hopping around in excitement. As I tried to squash her reaction, he continued, "And besides, if I were to go anywhere anymore, I think I would go and lead a team myself." My eyes, which had been closed with the effort of trying to calm my emotions, snapped open. I drilled into the side of his face with my eyes; he was leaving?

"Really?" Mento asked, his flat voice sounding more incredulous than surprised. "You think you could lead your own team?"

"Why not?" Beast Boy asked, not yet sensing the condescending tone from the Doom Patrol's leader. "I've learned a lot in my years, and the bad guys won't ever go away. We are always in need of new towers." I felt my heart wring uncontrollably in my chest, and Panic, in her grey cloak, began to shake inside my mind, stuttering out words of disbelief.

"Garfield," Mento said, his voice as sharp as a knife, "You aren't capable of that. You're a fantastic fighter, sure, but it takes more than that to be a leader. It takes planning and knowledge and a lack of emotion. You aren't cut from the right cloth." Beast Boy's unfocused sight narrowed at his old leader.

"You don't know that," he growled, his words beginning to stumble out of his mouth in his frustration.

"Yes I do," Mento said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "You're a follower, Beast Boy, and to be honest, a lousy one, even at that." His voice wasn't cruel; he wasn't trying to be harsh. He just was trying to save Beast Boy from what he saw as a thoughtless mistake. In his blue eyes, memories swarmed, supporting his thesis; all the times that Beast Boy refused to turn his back on his teammates when Mento ordered him to destroy the quantum generator; when he wouldn't leave Elasti-girl behind to the enemy's robots; when he called for the Titans help, despite Mento's direct order not to.

Beast Boy finally scoffed, and shook his head, his eyes heavily lidded in defeat. "You don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled weakly.

"Yes, I do," Mento said firmly. "I remember it like it was yesterday. You never were able to listen to orders, and you will never be able to give them."

"Well, that proves just how weak your mind really is," I hissed, stomping around Beast Boy and shoving my face heatedly at Mento's higher one, standing on my tip toes. My initial Panic at hearing what Beast Boy had to say was quickly shoved aside by my Anger, in her red cloak and her four ruby eyes. I jabbed him angrily in the chest with a rigid finger, and with a grunt of surprise, he took a step back at my sudden advancement. "The only times Beast Boy ever disobeyed you was when you were dead wrong in your commands," I hissed, barely keeping Anger from grabbing control inside me. " You told him to abandon his family, his friends, in the name of the greater good, but what use is the greater good when you don't have anyone to be there for you afterwards? You might think he is foolish, even selfish, for choosing you and I over the planet, but I would much sooner stand by him and follow his orders than from someone who is cold, emotionless, and heartless as you." My chest was heaving, and I grabbed blindly for a bottle of the nearest something to numb me. As I guzzled down the alcohol and the warm numbing effect began to spread through my limbs, my heated violet glare never left Mento's icy one.

A sudden tug on the bottom of my blue cape caused me to place the bottle of whiskey down and, as my gaze slid from Mento's, around the room and down, it changed from hate to love and patience. "Raven?"

"Yes, Teether, what is it?" I asked calmly, offering my youngest one a small smile.

"I thirsty," he whined, pouting at me. I turned my back on the two men and quickly poured the seven year old a half glass of caffeine free root beer. I handed it to him, and as he bounced away with his prize, I felt my calm façade slid away on my face.

"I have to go," I said, my monotone words sloshing around like the whiskey in the bottle. I offered Beast Boy a sad stare, before warping away from the loud music and hot bodies and fizzy drinks and found myself in my silent, dark room.


	11. Lose Yourself(Lemon)

**So this chapter will be the LEMON CHAPTER of the story. The text will contain graphic sexual themes and images. Just as explicit as porn. If you aren't prepared content of this nature, please skip on to the next chapter; anything of significance that occurs in this chapter will be noted in the author's note in the next chapter.**

Slowly, I squashed my emotions back into subjection, breathing heavily through my nose, and out through my mouth. I floated angrily in the center of my room, trying to numb the heat of my hot blood. Hours passed, and finally, a sharp rap on my door broke my reverie. As I slowly slipped from my trance and strode to the door, my mind sharpened and focused, and by the time the door slid open, I was completely grounded back in my body.

"Raven, are you okay?" Beast Boy asked, his brow furrowed in concern. His eyes wavered, still swollen with alcohol. His hand reached suddenly and grasped the doorjamb, steadying his swaying body.

"I'm fine," I droned, my voice once again drained of feeling. His dazed eyes searched my face, and I coolly remained unfazed under his scrutiny.

"You're lying," he slurred, pushing past me and into my room. There had been a time, years back, where I would've destroyed him for entering my room uninvited. However, time had passed easily, and we were so comfortable with one another now, I was more upset about his unwillingness to drop the subject then inviting himself in. "You blew up," he nearly shouted, flopping into one of the deep, black, leather chairs by my gothic bookcase. "You shouted at Mento, and totally lost control."

"I did _not_ lose control," I hissed, my voice edging with a little fire, eyes narrowed. He righted himself on the chair, hunched forward, his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands, watching me. I stared back at him in anger, daring him to argue further. He sighed heavily, and I braced myself; challenge accepted.

"Yes you did," he warbled, hiccupping slightly. "You not only said what you were thinking, you were aggressive, angry." His mouth twisted in confusion. "You were defending me." I rolled my eyes and glided closer, feeling awkward, talking to him from across the room. I glided a few feet from the arm rest, and placed my hands sassily on my hips, tilting my head slightly.

"Well, it was clear that you weren't about to stand up for yourself. When it comes to your old leader, you lack a back bone completely. You go from this annoying, defiant little runt to a spineless sponge." A sloppy grin played across his jagged smile, and he temporarily transformed into a water sponge, making a small squishy sound as his body flopped onto the leather. "Ha, ha, ha. You are hilarious," I drawled in irritation as he returned to his human form, a goofy grin on his mouth.

"Come on, Raven, you know I'm funny," he chuckled, relaxing in the chair once more.

"My sides are splitting, can't you tell?" I challenged. I felt my lips trying to turn up, but I buried the smile, an expert in controlling any emotional urges.

"Believe it or not, I can," he smiled triumphantly. "I know your tells."

"What tells?" I sputtered, blinking rapidly in surprise.

"Everyone has tells, Raven," Beast Boy snorted, shaking his head copiously. "Like whenever you need a cup of tea? You tuck your whole body into your cape, turn into a blue pillar." He smiled, like he expected a golden star. I snorted, unimpressed. "You also tug on your hair when you grow angry. You tap your foot when you get hungry, and your voice gets deeper when your get irritated."

"It does not," I growled. I instantly scowled at his sloppy grin; he was right. My voice had dropped lower. I crossed my arms stubbornly across my chest, and look away into the darker corners of my room, unwilling to continually prove him right. A rumbly chuckle sounded from his direction, behind me and to the left.

"Ahh, and there you go again," he purred, further frustrating me.

"What?" I hissed, my voice deep and angry.

"Whenever you cross your arms and avoid my gaze, I know you want something."

"Yeah, for you to shut the hell up," I snapped, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to calm my dominant spirit, screaming to assert myself.

"No," he whispered. I jumped, my eyes wide, and stumbled back. He was right behind me, bending down to place his lips by my ear. "Not that." I took a step back, and he took a surprising step forward, closer to me, chasing. "When you do that, look away, cover your chest, I know it's _me_ you want."

"Beast Boy, what are you doing?" I grunted, blinking in shock. The last time he'd been the dominant one in our friendship was…when the Beast had first been making it's way out.

"Stop playing coy," he sighed, rolling his eyes. His eyes… they were still unfocused, still under the haze of alcohol, but behind the fog, there was something I hadn't seen before. I saw hunger. He took another step closer, and I threw up my hand in warning.

"Step. Back," I said pointedly. His huge, gloved hand wrapped around my wrist, and a shiver ran the length of my spine and I bit back a gasp. Inside, my emotions screeched for control; Anger, Bravery, Fear…and something I didn't recognize.

"Come on, Raven. Stop fighting it," he smiled, his other hand grabbing my waist roughly.

"Last chance," I hissed, feeling my control of the situation slipping. He pulled my body tight against his, and I felt my body ignite on contact. "Azarath Me-" His lips slammed against mine, forcing me to swallow my incantation. His sharp, animal like teeth nip my tender lips, and I gasped.

His tongue slipped in between my open, gray lips, and he tasted of whiskey and cola. My Anger vanished; my Fear shrank. And, from the corner of my mind, the deepest part of my consciousness, strutted an emotion that I had buried ages ago, hoping to never have to face it again. Lust, in her deep red cloak, darker than Anger's, caressed my mind, whispering in her heated voice. "No," I moan, the word muffled against his mouth.

He pulled away, and his grip on my wrist and waist instantly loosened, less demanding and more questioning. "Raven, please, I've loved you since I first met you." I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to drown out his words, Lust's words, trying to take the reins back. "All I've wanted, for years now, is to be yours." His lips trailed desperate kisses up my held hand, up my tender neck, resting his pleading mouth against my hot-wired ear. "Tell me you feel this too," he croaked, his hand rubbing up and down my side.

I was on fire. Every time his hand slid down my waist, he left the section cold and thirsty for his touch, only to ignite the area beneath it in a wild inferno. Lust moaned in excitement in my head.

"Azarath, that feels good," she moaned desperately inside my head, her eyes squeezed shut in pleasure. She grabbed my shoulders in my mind, began stroking my stomach, my arms, seducing me, drawing me to the edge.

"No, no, no…" I struggled to repeat the word in my mind, each one growing weaker as her smooth, soft hands worked my body, all inside my head. She was winning. Between her seducing my mind, and Beast Boy stroking my lonely, hot body, I couldn't stop it.

"Give in," Lust whispered in my ear as her power grew. Without giving my permission, my physical mouth, the one he could hear, moaned as his lips brushed my ear. I felt his muscles tighten in response.

"I knew it," he growled huskily. His kisses, wet and pleading, ran my collarbone and neckline, each one punching a hole through my resolve. I couldn't fight this. He was right; I'd wanted this for months now, ever since we had grown close, before Adonis had attacked, maybe even further back. My resistance had been based on Beast Boy's submissive, relaxed demeanor. But here he was, pleading, demanding, begging…

"Yessss," Lust moaned in ecstasy; she had thrown me back, behind a Nevermore tree, and she had complete control.

My free hand pulled his face by the chin to my mouth, and I forced my suddenly desperate lips against his. His hand, which had been gently encircled around my wrist, fisted viciously into my hair, pulling me against him, the length of our bodies pinned together. He moaned into my mouth, grinding his hips against mine, letting me feel his physical promise of what was to come. My free hand slid to his ass, and I gave it a hungry, powerful squeeze.

He growled, and before I knew what was happening, I was off my feet and on my back, surrounded by my plush, dark blue comforter. His hands engulfed mine, pinning me to the bed as his mouth trailed steamy kisses down my neck, my breasts, my stomach, between my legs. I moaned desperately, squirming under the new touch. My legs wrapped around his head, trying to hold him there.

"You'd like to think you're always the one in control, wouldn't you?" he growled. His hands suddenly ripped from my wrists and grabbed my ankles. He crossed my legs swiftly, and I was laying on my stomach, him standing behind me at the edge of the bed. I tried to raise my body, my hands supporting my weight beneath me, but he knocked my arms out from under me. As I fell face first onto the mattress, he pressed his body's weight onto me. I shivered under the pressure and feeling of his broad, strong chest, his muscular thighs, and the bulge in his jumpsuit that now was being pushed tantalizing against my rear.

"Not tonight," he growled into my ear, rocking his erection against my hot body. "Tonight, I'm in charge, got it?" I could feel myself grow assertive.

"No, I hav-" One of his massive hands trapped both my slender wrists, and his newly free hand clamped over my mouth, cutting off my sentence.

"I'm. In. Charge." He stated heatedly. I began to buck beneath him, trying to gain the upper hand, wanting to be on top, in charge, in control. "Feisty, aren't you?" he chuckled, pushing his hard penis rougher against me. I whimpered in yearning. "Don't worry, Raven, I'll take that right out of you." Tired, I stopped squirming and laid my body weakly on the comforter. He knocked my legs apart, and against my virgin sex, pushed his impressive length.

"Beast Boy…." I moaned, trying to push against him harder. With a evil chuckle, he pushed against me lighter and lighter, and when I growled in frustration, he pulled his gender away from mine entirely.

"Beg for it," he growled, his voice deep with yearning.

"You're joking," I laughed, my ego kicking back in. "There's no way-" I screamed as his hand spanked my ass harshly, unexpectedly.

"Beg for it," he said confidently. He spanked me again, and my body shivered with excitement.

"No." He spanked me harder, and harder, and I couldn't hold out much longer.

"Beg for it, Raven, god dammit," he said calmly.

"Please," I finally gasped, the pain and teasing driving me insane.

"Please what?" he whispered in my sensitive ear, once again pushing his erection against my moist sex.

"Please…make love to me," I whimper, embarrassed and exposed all at once.

"Oh, you can do better than that," he scoffed. His free hand tugged at my leather leotard, and as his finger slipped inside my wet slit, I felt my body tighten in excitement. "Come on, Raven," he cooed tauntingly. "Please what?" His finger slid in and out slowly, and I moaned in pleasure. He leaned down and kissed my hot cheek before whispering in my ear, "Come on, my love, focus. What is it you want?" His thumb shimmied in between my legs, and as he began to rub my clit, my mind shatter as I moaned, louder than before, into the still air. "Come on, say it," Beast Boy growled, impatient. I was lost in how my body was feeling; heat swarmed his body as he pumped his finger quickly and rub my nub rapidly, my breath rapid and desperate—

He pulled his hand out from between my legs suddenly. "God dammit, Garfield, fuck me!" I shouted angrily, teased and hot and bothered and desperate. I glanced back, and his sexy, satisfied grin made me whimper again.

"Well, since you asked nicely," he sighed. He flipped me over, and we began tearing off each other's clothes, hating the barrier between our skin. Finally naked, he laid his body on top of mine, and I relished the feeling of his body against my own.

Finally, as our sloppy kiss broke apart, and he stood at the edge of the bed, between my legs, I got to look at his gorgeously sculpted physique. His eyes drank in my own figure, his eyes that of a wild animal. Finally, he looked me in the eye, and began to push his throbbing cock inside me.

My eyes instantly squeezed shut in reaction, and I felt him pull out. "No, keep your eyes open, I want to watch." I peeled my eyes back open, and when he was certain I was going to keep my eyes on him, he began to push back in. As each inch squeezed in, each more painful than the prior, I saw his mouth twist into a satisfied grin, gleeful to watch my eyes widen and dilate as he worked his way inside.

"Are you okay?" he asked suddenly, his confidence suddenly replaced with uncertainty; he was worried that he was hurting me.

"I'm fine," I gasped, trying to grind my hips against him further.

"You sure?" he asked, nervous.

"Garfield, Jesus Christ, would you stop?" I hissed.

"That's my girl," he grinned. He began to pump inside me, and my hands trailed up and down my tender body, feeling my curves, my skin. "God, that's hot, don't stop," he grunted as I began to squeeze my breasts. As he fucked me off the edge of the bed, my other hand slipped between my legs, and I began to experimentally rub, trying to find the sweet spot he had teased before.

"Ohh.." I moaned as I found my clitoris. I began rubbing it quickly, and as my pleasure increased, so did his pumps. "Garfield, I… I think I'm…" my sentence was severed short as my orgasm slammed against me, running the length of my nerves, frying my mind. He grasped my legs as they began to flail, and he shoved inside me harder. The electricity trailed my fingertips and toes, and around me, as my ecstasy took over, my pillows glowed black before shredding themselves. I felt my vagina squeezed tighter around his member.

"Jesus, Raven, I can't, ahhh.." he pulled out at last second, and his semen shot quickly out, covering my body as his eyes squeezed shut. His hot load seared my skin, and I gasped in surprise.

We slipped into our afterglow together, slowly, as the high of our lust slipped from our muscles, leaving us exhausted. I weakly scooted higher onto the bed, and patted the mattress beside me. He shook his head, and stumbled across my room, to my black vanity. He returned with tissues, and began cleaning me, wiping my body of his explosion. When he was done, he tossed the tissues into the waste bin, and finally collapsed beside me. Although he was bigger than me, he curled up beside me, resting his head on my chest and tucked under my chin. Using my powers, I covered us beneath the blankets, and wrapped my slender arms around him, a smile on my lips.

I'd done it. For at least a little while, I got to be… _normal._ Like any other woman. I could _feel_ things. I could feel _love_ , with such an intensity that I was surprised I wasn't dead, and I hadn't blown up the tower. I mean, the pillows were a done deal but…I had released my closely watched control, and we weren't dead. I had gotten to feel, to be normal, and it was amazing.

 **I feel like this chapter needs a little of clarification. If ANYONE, BOY OR GIRL, ever tell you no, IT MEANS NO! Do not think for a second that forcing yourself on another human is anyway acceptable. It is a crime, and is called rape. Don't delude yourself and say that you "knew" he/she wanted it. No means No. I wrote this chapter the way I did because Raven isn't like humans; as a half demon, of course she would say no. She had been told her whole life that if she lost control, she could destroy worlds. This scenario is only okay in a fictional text, and is to never be enacted in real life. If your partner, or object of desire, says no, STOP.**


	12. The Story Thereafter(Conclusion)

**So I've gotten some criticism on the prior chapter; if you read the prior chapter, feel free to read this quick author's note. If you skipped it due to its nature, please skip to the next emboldened paragraph. Now, addressing who DID read the previous chapter; yes, alcohol and sex were the topics explored. I have a discretion note. THIS STORY IS RATE M, meaning 17+ years in age. If you are younger and reading this, than you do so at your risk. If you are seventeen and older and you are offended by the chapter, THAT'S WHY THERE'S A WARNING! If you are seventeen, and offended by sex and alcohol themes, all I have to say is: really? You're an adult (or one year shy of being an adult) and you can't handle it? There was no rape in my chapter, and even if there was, this is fanfiction, an author can create anything. Adults, like the characters in the previous chapter, drink alcohol and have sex, guys. Pretending it doesn't exist doesn't change the fact that yes, adults drink, and yes, adults can have rough sex. If the chapter offended you, I won't apologize. I gave a warning and rated the story appropriately. If you ignored it and dislike the chapter, it's your fault darling.**

 **For those of you who skipped the chapter: Raven and BB had their first evening together as a couple, and are both asleep in Raven's bed, which is where this chapter begins.**

Reality sharpened slowly, and as I looked around the room disoriented, I realized some time must've passed; through my heavy, dark blue, black out drapes, the midday sun was trying to find its way into my dark haven. I stretched, and as my closed fist collided with something harder than pillows and blankets, the event of last night returned to me.

I watched his sleeping face, drool sneaking out of the corner of his mouth as he snored loudly. His nude body was covered with the comforter, but I could remember its perfection from the night before. His hair, a tousled, knotted mess, stuck out about the place. I tenderly tried to smooth in out, my thin, gray fingers working themselves through the tougher knots slowly.

He yawned, and his eyes creaked open, the crust on his eyes trying to keep them cemented together. His eyes alighted on my purple irises, and I watched as recognition, then confusion, then shock crossed his face quickly. He began flailing, trying to sit up beside me, but I pushed him back onto the mattress gently, hushing his protests.

"It's alright," I said, my usually dry voice ever so slightly more sincere. He relaxed against the soft sheets, huffing, looking at me guardedly.

"Raven, what happened last night…I didn't, I mean, I just wanted to make sure, but I-" My lips cut off his words quickly, sweetly, a light drizzle after a scorching summer afternoon.

"It's okay, nothing is wrong. Everything is fine," I whispered tenderly against the smooth green expanse of his broad forehead. His breath was frantic, like he was watching an approaching train wreck, or maybe a hungry lion, circling its prey.

"Raven, I'm so-"

"Seriously, stop." My voice regained its hardened character, and I glared down at him. His eyes traveled down my smooth neck and tried to peer down the blanket that was hiding my naked expanse. His gaze then snapped up, nervously, another apology leaking out of every pore in his body. "Quit apologizing. It makes it sound like you regret what we did."

"What? No!" Beast Boy shrieked, sitting up so quickly this time that I didn't have time to push him back down. "Not at all! I'm just sorry I came here, and I'm sorry that…" as he watched my face, he saw my irritation growing; he was still making apologies. "Are you okay?" he finally mumbled.

"I'm perfect," I said, kissing him on the cheek lightly as I rose from the sheet's shield. He gazed at me with wonder and awe, rubbing his cheek, as I redressed myself for the remainder of the day. When I had finally attached my cape, the finally piece of my outfit, I turned to him, still sitting on my bed, rubbing his cheek. "Getting up at all today?" He scrambled up then quickly, yanked on his jumpsuit, and began trying to comb his hair with his ungloved fingers.

When we were both ready, we left my room and began heading to the main living area. Just before the doors slid open, I grabbed his hand with my own, and dragging him a little behind me, entered the main room of Titan's Tower. Cyborg, who was wolfing down Starfire's home cooking, froze, starring at our encircled palms. Robin turned at the sound of the door opening, and his open mouth spoke volumes to his shock.

I dragged my partner through the room, disregarding the other hero's looks, and passed Starfire on my way to the cupboard. "Friends," Starfire started cautiously, eyeing our held hands, "I am confused as your earthly ways are still sometimes a mystery to me. Please, is today a special occasion? Why do you do the holding of hands?" I looked to Beast Boy to answer, but he just stared at the floor.

"Why are you embarrassed?" I droned, uncaring as to the other's presence. "I'm not ashamed, are you? These people are our family. Do you suggest we hide it?" He looked up at me then, and smiled, for the first time that day, bright and bold. Finally, he puffed out his chest, his obnoxious confidence and usual demeanor making its first appearance since we had gotten together.

"Not at all," he chuckled. "It's just new! We are holding hands, Star, because we are dating." Silence, for one…two…

"GLORIOUS!" The pair of us were swooped up into a painful alien embrace, and cheers and congratulations sounded from the other two male Titans. Cyborg felt particularly happy for his best friend; ever since Terra, Beast Boy had been lonely. Cyborg had always seen the odd pair's attraction, and he was glad that they could finally find happiness in each other.

Time passed, and all my fear's had been for naught. The Titans were growing closer than ever before; the _rekma_ was nowhere to be seen. Yes, we were growing up; Robin became Nightwing, Cyborg shouted "Booyah" less and less. But we weren't going anywhere. Robin and Starfire were even more serious than before in their romantic relationship; from the vibes and emotions I could feel wafting off of our masked leader, a ring was in the near future. Beast Boy and I grew even more opposites, our polar opposite personalities growing even further apart. I was quieter, more reserved than before in my "rowdy" younger years, and my boyfriend seemed to grow younger. He was louder, bolder, goofier. We grew closer together, always near one another. Even when we were across the room from each other, we could sense an invisible rubber band pulling us back together. Those who knew it best also could see the attachment, and thankfully, after suggestive jokes a plenty and many eye brow wagging, the others had dropped the teasing. This was possibly because I shot them the evilest look every time, but I'm not very concerned. The honeymoon phase of our relationship was long over, and everyone began to see our relationship a staple, a regular occurrence. It became the norm.

Crime never stopped; it seems with time, more and more scum and villainous types rise from the gutters of Jump City. Every day, a bank is robbed, or a person kidnapped, or a bus thrown through the front windows of a coffee shop. And, as always, we are always there to stop the evil doers in their tracks. The criminals are ruthless, tireless, and incorrigible; so are we. They can start fires, attack innocents, and do the cruelest, grossest things possible. And, just as always, we will always stop them. This is our city. We may grow older, and the battles might be longer, but the Titans won't be going anywhere for a long, long time. This city? It's ours, and to the villains who want to take it: just try.

Titans, GO!

 **Thanks for reading, guys! This is the conclusion to this story! If you liked this story, try reading my sequel:** _ **To Each Their Poison.**_ **A couple months after this story, a new hero (oc) shows up in Jump City, and she isn't a delicate flower. A love story between OC and Cyborg, our poor titanium homie won't be alone much longer.**


End file.
